Loss and Healing
by cheri1
Summary: 11/River. Third in my Happy Hillbilly Thanksgiving series. Spoilers for Angels Take Manhattan. After losing Amy and Rory, the Doctor and River go back to their adopted family to recover and heal. FINISHED.
1. Chapter 1

A/N: This story is third in a series of stories about the Doctor and his adopted family in Indiana. The other two stories are Happy Hillbilly Thanksgiving and A Country Christmas. Spoilers for Angels Take Manhattan.

Chapter One

Lori lay on the sofa in the lounge, watching Days of Our Lives on the television. The children were at school and Jim was at work. Only Rex remained to give her some company and he was lying next to the sofa, snoring softly while he snoozed.

It had been three months since they last saw the Doctor and his family and Michelle's birthday was a few days away. They wanted to have a huge party for her and Lori wanted to invite the Doctor, River, Rory and Amy to it as well. They had just finished talking to them a few days ago so Lori decided to wait till the night before her birthday to call and ask him.

She was about to get up and go use the toilet when she heard the mobile the Doctor gave her ringing in her pocket. She sat up and retrieved it from her pocket.

"Hello?" she said after answering it.

"Lori, this is River."

"Oh hey, River, how's things?" Lori said.

"Not good."

Lori's blood ran cold at that. Ever since she learned about what the Doctor did and heard some of his stories, she worried about her adopted family members constantly.

"What's wrong?" she said.

"Do you mind if we come to your house?" River said. "We lost Rory and Amy and the Doctor is devastated. I am as well but he's in really bad shape."

"You know my house is open to you guys anytime you need it. Please come," Lori said.

"Okay, just let us know the time and date and we'll be there in a few minutes," River said.

Lori looked at her watch and gave River the time and date. She stood up after hanging up the phone and looked at Rex as she put the mobile back in her pocket.

"Come on, boy, we're gonna have company," she said to him while he wagged his tail in return.

She went downstairs with Rex and went to the storage room. A few minutes after ending the call, she watched as the TARDIS materialized in front of her. She waited and smiled when the Doctor opened the door. He tried to manage a smile but there were tear streaks on his face and his face crumpled when Lori opened his arms and he ran to her and hugged her tightly. River came to the doorway of the TARDIS and smiled at Lori while she held the Doctor. He finally pulled away and Lori put his hand on her cheek.

"Come upstairs, both of you," she said.

The Doctor managed a small smile and rubbed Rex's head when he walked up to him and barked hello. River shut the TARDIS door and they followed Lori upstairs.

"Jim's at work and the children are at school, except for Mandy. A friend of mine is watching her for a few hours so I can have a break. They'll be home in a few hours so you might want to leave the explanations for when everyone is here so you don't have to repeat it forty times," Lori said to him while they walked to the stairs. "My house is yours, stay as long as you need."

"Thank you," the Doctor said.

"I was actually going to call back," Lori said as they went up the stairs. "Shelly's birthday is in two days and I wanted you guys to come and celebrate."

The Doctor did smile at that.

"Ten, eh," he said.

"Yup, she's growing like a reed," Lori said. "Do you need anything to eat or drink?"

"Cup of tea?" the Doctor said.

"You got it. Just sit down and relax and I'll make it for you," she said, squeezing his shoulder.

"Come on, love," River said, taking her hand while they walked to the lounge.

XOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXO

The Doctor sat in the chair sipping hot tea while River did the same. Lori had turned off the TV and Rex lay in front of the Doctor while they waited for everyone else to come home. Lori made small talk, nothing too involved and nothing that pertained to Amy or Rory. The Doctor asked about her plans for the birthday party for Michelle.

"Well, we usually take her to Chuck-E-Cheese for pizza and games. She likes that and also we let her pick a movie and we take her to that after that. She's likes that better than just a typical birthday party. Chuck-E-Cheese does parties so she gets a little cake there. Also, I'll fix enchiladas tonight since you're here."

The Doctor managed a chuckle at that.

"Comfort food, eh?" he said.

"Exactly," Lori said, smiling. "I think between that and being around the children, you'll get a bit of comfort."

"That's why I told him we should come here," River said. "I was scared for him."

"I wouldn't have done anything, River," the Doctor said defensively. "I wasn't going to commit suicide or anything like that."

"Yes, but you do become unhinged from time to time. I've seen it," River said. "You need love and comfort at the moment. That's what will heal you."

"There they are," Lori said when they saw a yellow school bus pull up to the end of the driveway.

The Doctor got up and Rex followed him while he walked to the bay window and watched Michelle and Tom get off the bus. They waved goodbye to the bus driver and began their long walk up to the house. By now, the snow had melted and the yard was brown with dead grass. They had backpacks on their back and Michelle was carrying a red plastic lunchbox. At first they didn't see the Doctor but when they got to the porch, Michelle screamed with delight and the Doctor grinned and waved when she pointed him out to Tom. They zoomed up the porch steps and a few seconds later, the door burst open.

"Hey!" Lori said when Michelle slammed the door behind her. "Not so hard! He won't disappear!"

They ran around the partition and the Doctor grinned and opened his arms wide as the two children made a beeline for him and slammed against him. River smiled as the children cheered and kissed his cheeks and the Doctor had a genuine smile on his face for the first time in several hours.

"Hey, my birthday's in two days and Mommy wanted to ask you to come," Michelle said. "You and River and Rory and Amy can all come."

The Doctor flinched a bit at the mention of Rory and Amy's name but he managed a smile.

"I'd love to," he said, grinning when the children cheered.

They turned to River and River embraced them warmly when they flew into her arms. They hugged her tightly while the Doctor stood up and watched. His hearts lurched when the children finished and turned around, searching for Rory and Amy.

"Hey, where's Rory and Amy at?" Michelle said to the Doctor.

"Yeah, we wanna say hello," Tom said.

"Kids, the Doctor and River have some bad news," Lori said, walking over to them and kneeling down to them.

The children looked expectantly at the Doctor and River put her hand on his shoulder while the Doctor swallowed hard.

"Remember when I told you that traveling with me was dangerous and sometimes people got hurt?" he said.

"They're in a hospital?" Michelle said alarmed.

"Shelly, let him finish," Lori said.

"Sorry," Michelle said.

The Doctor smiled at that and shook his head.

"No, they're…lost in time and I can't get them back," he said.

"Why not?" Tom said.

"Guys, we're going to wait till everyone gets home so the Doctor doesn't have to repeat himself three or four times, okay?" Lori said.

Michelle and Tom nodded.

"Are they dead?" Michelle said to him.

"Well…yes and no," the Doctor said, glancing at River.

The children frowned in confusion but didn't press him for information. Lori told them to put their school things away and she'd fix them a sandwich. She told them they'd have enchiladas tonight and the Doctor grinned when the children cheered. River came up behind him and put her arms around him, watching with him while the children hurried to their bedrooms.


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter Two

River helped Lori in the kitchen while the Doctor sat in the chair by the bay window; absorbing the love and warmth of the house and feeling it calm his tormented mind for the moment. He sipped his tea and watched while Michelle entered the room, carrying a few schoolbooks and a pad of paper and pencil.

"Homework time," Michelle said to him as she walked over to the sofa and plopped down in front of it. "Did you have homework when you went to school?"

"Yes. But I didn't go home; I stayed at the Academy in a dorm."

"You mean like Harry Potter?" Michelle said, putting her stuff on the coffee table in front of her.

"Yes, like that," the Doctor said. "Without the magic though."

"I like Harry Potter," Michelle said, opening a textbook and putting the pad of paper beside it. "Wish I could do magic so I could get my homework done faster."

"Nah, then you wouldn't learn anything," the Doctor said.

He sipped his tea and watched while Michelle studied the book and wrote something down on the pad. She went back and forth from the book to the pad, writing down math problems and solving them. He could hear hamburger frying in the kitchen and smelt the aroma of cooking meat while he heard Lori and River chatting.

"So…what are you learning then?" the Doctor said to Michelle.

"Stupid math problems," Michelle said, glancing at him.

The Doctor grinned.

"Mathssssss," he said. "I keep telling you to be British."

Michelle giggled.

"I don't like mathsssss so I don't care," Michelle said.

"What's not to like? I love maths problems, they exercise the mind."

"They do for you, they just bore me to tears," Michelle said.

The Doctor took his mug of tea while he got up and walked over to her. He sipped his tea while he studied the problems in her textbook.

"Child's play," he said smugly after solving all the problems in his head. "I could do your maths problems in my sleep."

"Then why don't you?" Michelle teased as she pointed to her pad. "I wouldn't tell anyone you did my homework."

"Because you need to learn and you need to do the work in order to learn," he said, sitting back down.

"Yeah, yeah, whatever," Michelle said while he chuckled.

"So…what else are you learning then?" the Doctor said, pointing to the small pile of books beside the textbook.

"History, I like that," Michelle said, pointing to the books. "English and geography."

"Ah, everything you'll need for a life of traveling with me," the Doctor said. "You need to know your history and geography and know how to be literate plus you need to learn a bit of astronomy so you'll be familiar with the planets and star systems."

"I like astronomy too," Michelle said as she glanced at a problem in her textbook.

The Doctor sipped his tea while she wrote something down on her notepad.

"Are you okay?" Michelle said after a few minutes of silence.

"I'll live," the Doctor said after a weary sigh.

"When I was five, my grandma died and I cried because I loved her a lot. We went to her house and she'd bake chocolate chip cookies for us and I missed that after she died," Michelle said while she did her homework. "Mommy had to explain to me what happened to her and how she was in Heaven and how I would see her after I died but not now. I was very sad and I slept a lot because I was…depressed. I didn't know that when it happened but I know I was depressed now when it happened."

The Doctor nodded. Michelle turned her attention to him.

"Mommy told me that Grandma is watching over me and proud of me and I believe it. I think Amy and Rory are doing the same now."

The Doctor smiled at that and nodded.

"I didn't wanna laugh and have fun because I was afraid to because Mommy was upset and crying. It was her mommy and she told me that hearing me laugh cheered her up and that it was okay to have fun and laugh because we needed to go on and live for grandma that way."

"Very wise advice," the Doctor said.

"I'm just saying that it's okay for you to laugh and have fun because you have to go on and live for Amy and Rory," Michelle said.

The Doctor's eyes misted over but he managed to smile and nod at that. Michelle put her pencil down, got up and walked over to him. The Doctor enveloped her in a hug and kissed her head while she hugged him tightly.

"Thank you, Bookworm," he murmured as he held her and rubbed her back.

"No problem, Slime Monster," she said, pulling away and patting his head. "Just trying to cheer you up a bit."

"Thank you, I needed that," the Doctor said.

He frowned when Michelle stood there and said nothing.

"What?" he finally said.

"Do my homework now that you're feeling better," she said, pointing to her books.

The Doctor grinned and Michelle squealed and ran away when he tickled her sides. He sat back in the chair, grabbed his mug and took another sip of tea while she settled back down to finish her homework.

XOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOX

An hour later, the Doctor was still watching her and Rex as he played outside with his raccoon toy from Christmas. His eyes picked up the yellow shape of another school bus heading down the road towards the house.

"Another school bus coming," he said to Michelle.

"That's Brit," Michelle said, glancing at him while she read a chapter in his history book. "Mandy doesn't go to school yet but she's being babysitted by a friend for a bit."

"So your mother said," the Doctor said as he got up.

By now the bus was slowing down and pulling up to the end of the driveway. The Doctor stood in the window as before and watched while Brittany got off the bus, a blue backpack slung over her shoulder. She got halfway to the house before she saw him and the Doctor giggled when she pumped her fist in the air and ran the rest of the way.

"You came!" she said when she burst through the door. "Mom hoped you would!"

She quickly shut the door and ran to him as she let her backpack drop in the hallway. The Doctor beamed, opened his arms wide and caught her in a hug.

"Oh, thanks for coming to Shelly's birthday!" Brittney said while she hugged him. "Mom said she was gonna call you and ask."

"Actually, I found out about that after I got here. I'm here for a different reason," he said when they broke apart.

"Oh? Well, it doesn't matter why you're here, you're here! Just a minute, gotta go say hello to Mom."

She called for Lori and Lori answered from the kitchen. She hurried inside and let out a squeal of delight when she saw River. The Doctor chuckled and sat back down while he heard Brittany gushing about how great it was that they were here and River telling her she was glad to be here. Then Lori spoke in hushed tones to her daughter and the Doctor knew she was telling Brit about Amy and Rory and that something had happened to them.

"Hey, you!" Michelle said to the Doctor while Tom ran into the kitchen to greet his sister. "Do you know a lot about the Civil War?"

"American one?" the Doctor said as he heard Tom greet Brittany.

"Yeah."

"I know a lot about it, why? Have a question about what you're reading?"

"Yes but not about what I'm reading. I want to know what you thought about it."

"In what way?" the Doctor said as the kitchen went quiet again.

"All these people got killed because of slavery. What do you think about that?" Michelle said.

"Well, I think slavery in any form is wrong but so is unnecessary slaughter which is what most of the war was about," the Doctor said. "I think the war went on longer than it needed to and precious lives were lost because neither side would budge in their views and sit down and talk. Not to mention a great president was lost at the end of it.

Michelle stood up and took her book over to him. She sat it in his lap and pointed to a picture of dead soldiers strewn across a battlefield.

"I agree because all these people had families that loved them and they all ended up dead," Michelle said while the Doctor stared at the photo. "I read about it and I think they shouldn't have done it. I think they could have done it another way without killing people."

"So do I, Bookworm, but sometimes it doesn't work out that way," the Doctor said, patting her head.

Michelle took her book back to the table while Brittany came out of the kitchen, a somber look on her face. The Doctor got up when she opened her arms to hug him.

"I'm sorry," Brittany said. "Mom said you'd explain more after everyone gets home but I'm sorry they're gone. I liked them."

"Me too but they did get to live a full life, apart from me and River, but they did live," the Doctor said. "I'm just gutted that they're gone now."

"Well, we'll try to make you happy again if we can," Brittany said to him.

"Thank you," the Doctor said before giving her another hug.

XOXOXOXOXOXOX

After another hour, both Jim and Mandy came home. Lori had told the Doctor that she'd phoned her husband along with Ruth, Dan, Alicia and Tom and told them what happened so Jim came inside the house with Mandy, both knowing he and River were already there.

"Doctor, don't tell them yet," Lori said, coming into the room. "Dan and Ruth and Tom and Alicia are coming over for dinner. They want to hear what happened too."

The Doctor nodded. Jim patted him on the shoulder and the Doctor took River's hand and squeezed it while Jim went to greet his wife and children.


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter Three

When Alicia, Tom, Dan and Ruth arrived at the house, they all hugged the Doctor and offered him their sympathies for what happened. By that time, the enchiladas were ready and all of them sat down to eat at the dining room table while Rex gnawed on his chew toy near them. The Doctor told them what happened with River helping him in places when he became too choked up with emotion. As he told the story, the Doctor felt guilt about what he did. After all, Amy and Rory were a part of their family as well and he felt like dirt for not doing more to prevent their leaving. When he and River finally finished speaking, he fell silent; sure they would be angry at his failure to save them.

"Doctor," Lori finally said after a few moments' silence. "I can tell from your face that you have a lot of guilt over this and I'm guessing you think we hate you now because you couldn't save them. But you told us that Amy and Rory traveled with you and knew the risks and Amy made the decision to be with Rory when she could have stayed with you. They were both adults and they made the decision to travel with you willingly. They even jumped off the roof together and that was also their decision. This isn't your fault, please don't blame yourself. And don't think that we hate you for it either. How long did they travel with you?"

"About two and a half years," the Doctor said.

"And you kept them safe for two and a half years while they were off fighting aliens and evil people," Alicia said. "That's pretty remarkable."

"I still love you, Doctor," Mandy chirped up.

River rubbed his arm when the Doctor's eyes misted at that.

"Thank you," he said in a voice choked with emotion.

The children glanced at each other, slid out of their seats and went to hug him. The Doctor smiled and hugged them tightly.

"See, sweetie, no one's going to condemn you," River said while the adults nodded in agreement.

"Hey, can you take us to see their grave?" Michelle said when they finished the hugs.

"Yeah, I wanna go see their grave if you don't mind," Brittany said.

"I just wanna say goodbye to them," Michelle said. "But I don't wanna do it if it makes you cry."

"No, it's alright," the Doctor said. "They were your family as well and you need to say goodbye to them properly."

"We'll go after dinner, children. Finish your meal," Lori said to them.

The children gave him one more hug and River patted his hand when they walked back to their seats and sat back down.

XOXOXOXOXOXOXOX

After supper, Lori, Alicia and Ruth cleaned up everything while the children ran to get mementos for Rory and Amy's gravestone. River sat with the Doctor in the living room.

"Are you okay with this, my love?" River said to him.

"Yeah, I am. I need to let them see the grave and I need to say my goodbyes as well. I was too stricken with grief to say it before but now that I'm calmer…this needs to be done."

"You should show them the last page as well. You forgot to mention it."

"Oh yeah, I did!" the Doctor said. "I'll show them when we get in the TARDIS."

Michelle came into the room carrying a small angel figurine in her hands. The angel had blonde hair and was wearing a blue dress with a little halo around her head.

"I want to put this on the grave for them," Michelle said, showing it to the Doctor and River. "I did something like this for Grandma's grave too."

"They'll love it," River said fondly as she stroked her hair.

The Doctor stared at the sweet little girl and he flashed back to when he met her older self. When he joked about Rory and Mandy and how anguished she looked. He understood now why she had so much pain in her eyes. He looked at the family photo they made for Michelle's family, hanging prominently on the wall to his right along with the one of his past self and Donna. He swallowed hard, seeing how happy he looked, little knowing that Amy and Rory were on borrowed time at that point. He suddenly realized that he could save the reading of the back page for the gravesite. It seemed a fitting way for him to say goodbye, like a little eulogy for them. He decided to do that rather than tell them what Amy had to say inside the TARDIS.

XOXOXOXOXOXOX

When everyone was ready, he took them inside the TARDIS. Lori came in last, leading Rex who was now on a lead. He smiled at the awe Dan, Ruth, Alicia and Great Uncle Tom had at the interior and the children led them up to the console and showed it to them while he shut the doors. He asked the TARDIS to take them back to Amy and Rory's grave and to make sure no angels were nearby when they landed. The TARDIS complied and the adults laughed while they rode the vortex to their destination.

When they arrived in Manhattan, the Doctor took a look outside just to make sure no angels were around, although he half hoped the angel was still there so he could take a sledgehammer to it and vent all his rage on it. There was nothing there though but the Doctor kept an eye on his surroundings and River did the same while their precious cargo came out to look at the grave. The family gathered around the grave and the Doctor and River flanked them, looking around for any signs of angels.

"Wow, they lived to be old," Michelle said, pointing to the grave.

"Yes, they both probably lived full lives," Lori said, putting her hand on her shoulder.

"What's that say, Mommy?" Mandy asked, pointing to the writing on the grave.

Lori read it for them and the Doctor got a lump in his throat. He watched while the children knelt and put their mementos on the base of the grave and he got another lump when they whispered their love for Amy and Rory and said goodbye to them. When the children were done, the adults laid down their mementos and also told them they were loved and a part of their family forever. The Doctor felt tears coming to his eyes and he wished Amy and Rory could be here to see this.

Then suddenly, he saw movement out of the corner of his eyes and he turned his head, fearing it was another angel preying on his other family members. To his shock, he saw a ghostly image of Amy and Rory standing and watching the family, arms around each other and smiling. The image only lasted a second after he turned his head before they faded but he could see enough to know it was them. He was shocked. He didn't believe in ghosts but he couldn't deny what he'd just seen either. Then Mandy turned towards the spot where he'd seen then and let out a delighted shriek that caused everyone to turn around. Mandy walked over to the spot the Doctor had seen the image and stared up at where Rory's head would be while she told Amy and Rory hello. When she did that, Rex also started barking and getting excited and Lori led him over to the spot.

"Sweetie, you see them?" Lori said to her daughter as she stopped beside her.

Mandy turned, nodded and pointed to the thin air in front of her.

"Do you see them?" the Doctor asked Lori.

" No, but I've read that young children and animals can see spirits because they're innocent beings and I believe that."

"I did see something, out of the corner of my eye," the Doctor said. "When I turned to look. I saw Amy and Rory standing together for a second before they vanished. I can't see them anymore."

"They're here, Uncle Doctor," Mandy said, pointing to the air. "They're waving at you."

River walked over and embraced the Doctor from behind when he became emotional at that.

"Do you want me to read the back page, love?" she murmured in his ear.

"No, I can do it," he said, gathering his composure.

He pulled a folded piece of paper out of his pocket and unfolded it while he explained to everyone what it was. When he was finished with his explanation, everyone listened while he read the back page to them and to Amy and Rory who he imagined was listening with loving looks on their faces. When he finished, he realized he felt better for reading it and sharing this moment with his adopted family, River and his beloved companions. They stood for a moment in reverent silence and the Doctor swore he felt Amy and Rory embrace him, even though he saw nothing. Finally, everyone said their last goodbyes, touching the grave and Mandy waved to the air and said goodbye and I love you before Lori took her hand and led her and Rex back to the TARDIS. The Doctor let everyone go inside and then turned to look at the graveyard.

"Goodbye, my friends and family, rest in peace now," he murmured before he stepped inside and closed the door.


	4. Chapter 4

Chapter Four

The Doctor realized when they were coming back that he needed a restorative rest. He told Lori that and gave her a sheepish smile.

"I know I keep saying I don't sleep but I do when I need to recover from trauma and this was extremely traumatic for me," he said. "I won't be asleep long, just enough to regain my energy."

"I understand, you're wiped out from all this," Lori said, putting her hand on his shoulder.

"I am, yes," the Doctor said, nodding.

"Leave it to me," Lori said. "Children, you hear that? The Doctor needs to rest tonight so I want you to stay in your rooms for tonight. You can sleep with him tomorrow night. This is not negotiable. He needs to sleep for awhile, alright?"

"Yes!" the children said in unison.

"Thank you," the Doctor said, rubbing Rex's head when he came up to him.

XOXOXOXOXOXOXOX

When they returned to the house, Jim and River fixed the sofa bed for him and Jim started a fire while the others went upstairs. The Doctor stayed behind in the TARDIS for a moment, requesting that the TARDIS make three Ambrosia pies for his family members. He brought them upstairs on a silver tray and presented them to Lori, Dan and Ruth and Tom and Alicia.

"Oh, you have no idea how happy I am to see that," Ruth said while everyone laughed. "I loved it, Doctor. We ate the first one in no time so I thank you again for this new one."

"My pleasure," the Doctor said. "Thank you for being here for me and River.

"Oh, p'shaw, you're both family now and so were Amy and Rory, it's no different from attending a funeral of someone we lost," Alicia said. "Just keep coming to visit us and keep on bringing those pies."

The Doctor chuckled. He sat the tray down when everyone collected their pies and accepted hugs from the departing family members. He waited with the others on the porch while they walked down to their cars and waved goodbye with everyone when they drove off.

"Your bed is ready whenever you want to use it," Jim said. "And there's a fire in the fireplace."

"Thank you so much," the Doctor said. "I just need a few hours. And I'll feel better."

"Take all the time you need," Lori said. "Children, you need to go get your baths so he can rest. So get to it," she said, clapping her hands at them.

They walked back inside. As Lori and Jim went in with Rex, River took the Doctor's hand.

"Do you want me to leave you alone as well?" she asked.

"No, come and lay with me," the Doctor said.

River nodded and he squeezed her hand while they went inside. The Doctor closed the door behind them and smiled when everyone wished him goodnight before he went downstairs. He and River went hand in hand downstairs.

"Are you alright, my love?" River said to him as they went downstairs.

"I will be after resting a bit. I'm just knackered and drained," the Doctor said.

"AMANDA LOUISE STEVENS, GET BACK HERE RIGHT NOW!"

They turned on the stairs when they heard Lori bellowing upstairs and saw Mandy frozen on the top step, her face turned up to the hallway.

"I SAID, NOW!" Lori said, looking over the partition at her.

"I gotta tell Uncle Doctor something," Mandy said to her while she pointed at the Doctor.

"It's okay, Lori," the Doctor said to her. "Mandy, what do you need to tell me?"

"Amy and Rory are here, they came back with us," Mandy said to him while Lori folded her arms on top of the petition and watched her. "They say they love you."

River squeezed his shoulder when the Doctor nodded and smiled at that.

"Thank you for telling me that," the Doctor said. "Now you better do as your mother says."

"I'm coming, Mommy," Mandy said, turning and go back upstairs.

"Go get your bath now," Lori said, turning her head to look at her as her daughter went into the hallway.

She looked at the Doctor and River.

"I suspect Amy and Rory will be keeping a close eye on you two," she said to them. "Supposedly this house is already haunted so they'll just add to the fun."

The Doctor chuckled.

"Good night, Doctor," Lori said.

"Good night, Lori and thanks."

"Anytime, thanks for the pie," Lori said.

She leaned back up and walked away while the Doctor and River continued downstairs.

"Amanda, eh?" the Doctor said to River. "So I now know two of the children's middle names."

XOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOX

They lay down together on the sofa and covered themselves with a blue blanket. River lay with her head on his chest while the Doctor stared at the fire.

"Do you believe that Amy and Rory are with us now?" the Doctor finally said to River as he looked at her.

"I do. I believe in that sort of thing even if you don't," she said. "I think they're in a better place and watching over us. I think they had a happy and fulfilling life for as long as they lived."

"How can you know that?" the Doctor said.

"Because, love, I feel it in my heart," River said. "And because Amy told you so on the last page of the book. You don't believe her?"

"No, I do. I just…miss them terribly," the Doctor said, putting his arm around her.

"So do I but I think we did the right thing when we took everyone to see the grave. They need closure and so do you. Now you need to try to pick up the pieces and move on…for them and for us."

"I know," the Doctor said after a world weary sigh, "but it's so hard to do that sometimes."

"I know it is, love, but I know you and I know you'll find the strength inside to recover from this and go on."

The Doctor fell silent for awhile while he and River stared at the fire.

"At Christmas, I went forward in time to see how Michelle turned out," he finally said.

"And?" River said, raising her head.

"She's beautiful," the Doctor said. "And she's not the size of a small planet, thankfully, after consuming all those pigs in a blanket and enchiladas."

River chuckled.

"Kids expend a lot of energy and a lot of calories," River said to him.

"There was something else though," the Doctor said.

"What?" River said.

The Doctor explained to her what he saw and what Michelle said to him and about his future self returning and giving Michelle the medallion. When he finished, River was silent and the Doctor studied her, suddenly feeling like he said too much to her.

"Are you upset that she and I are supposed to marry?" he said to her.

"No. Because apparently this happens in the future after I'm gone," River said. "I'm not immortal, sweetie, and I'm not fully Time Lord so I know I will die eventually. She didn't say we were sharing you so I must be out of the picture by the time you do this. To be honest, this doesn't surprise me in the least," she said, leaning up to look at him.

"It doesn't?" the Doctor said.

River chuckled warmly and laid her hand on his cheek.

"You play favorites, sweetie. I know you try to hide it and I know you love all those children but Michelle is your favorite and I think it's because she's intelligent and a book reader like yourself. You met Mother when she was seven and you coulda just said goodbye and left her there to grow up in Leadworth but you came back for her. I think Michelle has had the same impact on you that Mother had."

"Amy seared herself into my hearts that day," the Doctor said. "It happens when I regenerate. The first person I see usually imprints themselves on me and I take their loss especially hard. It happened during my last life with a woman called Rose. She traveled with me in my ninth life and I loved her then but when I saw her after regenerating, it was like I couldn't get enough of her. I had to be with her and have her with me. It was the same with your mother. That's why all of this was so devastating for me."

"Well, you said this was a future life. Maybe you regenerate in front of Michelle and she inprints herself on your hearts, same as the others."

The Doctor thought about that.

"She wants to travel with me in the worst way," he finally said. "Even after I told her what happened to Amy and Rory, she still wants it."

"Some people are born to travel the stars, love. They're like you, they want adventure and excitement and they're willing to face the risks to reap the rewards of seeing different places and times. Michelle may be a bookreader but there's a traveling spirit inside her. I can see it now even though she's still a child. She'd make an ideal companion for you, love, in many ways. I would feel safe letting her be with you because I love her as if she were my own daughter. She would care for you dearly and be there for you and that's what you need."

The Doctor nodded. River kissed his cheek.

"Now, go to sleep. You know those children won't wait forever," she teased.

The Doctor chuckled and nodded. He put his arm around River and she snuggled with him. He stared at the fire for a moment before closing his eyes and letting himself go to sleep.


	5. Chapter 5

Chapter Five

The Doctor opened his eyes and River lifted his head and smiled at him.

"What time is it?" he said to her.

River checked her watch.

"Nearly eight in the evening. You've been asleep for about two hours," she said.

"That's all I needed, energy is now recovered," he said.

He listened and heard the faint sound of the TV upstairs. He asked River to move and she got off him and he sat up. She stood with him and held his hand while they walked to the stairs. As they climbed, the Doctor heard a male narrator talking about the Battle of Gettysburg.

"See, Mommy, see how many people they killed?" he heard Michelle saying.

"I know, sweetie, it was a very bad time in history," Lori said.

The Doctor and River stepped up into the hallway and walked around the partition. Lori, Michelle and Brittany were sitting and watching TV while Rex lay in front of it. He perked up and went to the Doctor, wagging his tail.

"Are you alright?" Lori asked the Doctor.

"Oh yeah, I told you I didn't need to sleep long. I feel loads better," he said to her.

"We're watching this show on the Civil War," Michelle said as she sat beside Brittany on the sofa. "I told Mommy I was studying it and she found this show so we decided to watch it. Wanna watch it with us and have a snack?" she said, pointing to the glass of Coke and bowl of crisps on the coffee table in front of her.

"Mandy and Tom are in bed and Dad had to go to bed because he goes to work early," Brittany said to them while the Doctor pet Rex. "Creepy gets to stay up till nine and I can stay up till ten."

"Cause she's older," Michelle said sourly.

"You had to go to bed like Tom and Mandy when you were their age," Lori said to her. "When you reach fifteen, you can stay up another hour on school nights. But would you like something to eat or drink?" she said to the Doctor and River.

"Pop and crisps will be okay," the Doctor said.

"I'll get it, just relax," Lori said, getting up.

The Doctor sat down beside Brittany while River sat in the empty chair.

"Hey, wanna hear something interesting that happened at my high school today?" Brittany said to the Doctor.

"Ooo, what happened at your high school today?" the Doctor said.

"Well…There was this enormous fight between these two guys in the hallway between classes and the principal of our school got in the middle of it, grabbed one of the guys, slammed him against the wall and lifted him about two feet off the floor while he screamed at him to stop fighting."

"And the other miscreant? What did your principal do to him?" the Doctor said to her.

"Nothing. He wasn't the one that started it," Brittany said with a shrug.

"What did you do then?" the Doctor said.

"Watched."

"Why didn't you jump in and stop it yourself?" the Doctor said.

"Because the two people in question were on the football team."

"So?"

Michelle giggled while Brittany stared at the Doctor.

"You see this little body I got?" she said, pointing to herself.

"You see River over there?" the Doctor said, pointing to River. "River would have jumped in there, grabbed them both and spun them over their heads. And she's not much bigger than you are…and she's older so what's your excuse?" he said, his eyes twinkling with mirth.

"I'm not you," Brittany said.

"She's not me either but she can take on two burly men," the Doctor teased.

"Hey," Lori said, coming into the room carrying the silver tray. "Did you want this back? It's very nice and it looks like an antique."

"Nah, you can have it," the Doctor said. "The TARDIS made it for me although I think it's made from Neptunian silver by the looks of it."

Lori paused as she put the tray down on the coffee table.

"Are you serious? This is silver from outer space?" she said, pointing to the tray.

"Let me have a closer look at it when you get done giving us the crisps and Coke and I'll tell you for certain," the Doctor said.

Lori put a bowl of potato chips and a glass of Coke in front of him and carried the tray over to River. River stood up, took her bowl and glass and thanked her graciously. Lori nodded and smiled and took the tray back to the Doctor. Michelle popped a crisp in her mouth and watched while the Doctor studied the tray closely.

"Yes, Lori, I believe it is Neptunian silver," he said, handing it back to her.

"Okay, I'm gonna lock this thing up and never lose sight of it…ever," Lori said while everyone laughed. "Wow, the things I've seen since meeting you just blows my mind."

"So, Brit, about standing around and watching when you shoulda been ass whooping those blokes," the Doctor said to her while Lori went back into the kitchen.

XOXOXOXOXOXOX

"Okay, kiddo, it's nine o'clock," Lori said to Michelle when the documentary ended. "You got school tomorrow so head for bed!"

"Are you feeling better?" Michelle said to the Doctor as she stood up.

"I am feeling heaps better now," the Doctor said. "Don't worry about me, I'll be alright. Just get some rest so you can do those mathsssss problems tomorrow."

"Hey, he says in England, they called it maths instead of math," Michelle said to her mother.

"Really?" Lori said.

"Yup," the Doctor said. "I keep telling her to be British."

"I don't wanna be British!" Michelle said while the Doctor sniggered. "You be American!"

"Nah, I wanna be Time Lord," the Doctor said.

River got up and waited while the Doctor hugged and kissed her cheek and told her goodnight. Then she did the same and Michelle took her empty bowl and glass back into the kitchen before coming out and kissing and hugging her mother good night.

"See you tomorrow, Doctor, be good," Michelle said as she headed to her bedroom.

"That leaves you alone with me, bwa ha ha," Brittany said to the Doctor.

"And you can't even stand up to two American football players so what makes you think I'll fear you?" the Doctor said while River chuckled.

They switched to Once Upon a Time and the Doctor munched on his crisps and drank his Coke while he watched the program with Brittany. When ten o'clock came around, Brittany did the same thing as Michelle and kissed and hugged everyone and wished them goodnight. She waved as she headed for bed.

"Ah, child free at last," Lori said while the Doctor and River chuckled. "I love them but I also need to rest and recharge from time to time."

"Perfectly understandable," the Doctor said.

"So…they'll probably want to see you before they head off to school tomorrow," Lori said, pointing to the hallway. "And if you want, you both can accompany me and Mandy on some errands and I can show you more of Indiana."

"That sounds wonderful," the Doctor said.

"Jim will take the truck so that leaves us the car," Lori said. "I need to get a few more gifts for Shelly and do a bit of shopping."

"If you want, you can use the TARDIS again for Michelle's gifts," the Doctor said.

"You know, you spoil me with that ship of yours," Lori said. "I will do that if you don't mind but I still want to get out of the house tomorrow for awhile and I can show you around. It's something to do while the others are gone. And Mandy will want to spend some time with you too. I just know she will."

"We would love that," River said.

"Thank you," Lori said.

She watched TV for another half hour before telling them she would be going to bed. She told them the house was theirs and to help themselves and the Doctor and River both wished her goodnight. Lori smiled and told them she'd see them in the morning before she turned and headed down the hallway to her bedroom.


	6. Chapter 6

Chapter Six

The next morning around five a.m., the Doctor heard the first signs of stirring upstairs. He was lying with River on the sofa. He was awake while she was fast asleep. He guessed by the time that it was Jim. He heard someone walking around upstairs before hearing the front door open and shut around 5:30 a.m. Then the house was quiet again until 6 a.m. when he heard Lori yelling for the children to get up. The Doctor carefully got up, taking care not to wake his wife while she slept. He walked upstairs and smiled when the children saw him and said good morning to him as they rushed around. He helped pass out their lunches and saw that they had everything they needed before they headed out to the end of the driveway to catch the buses. He turned around at the doorway and saw Mandy standing behind him.

"Now you deal with me!" Mandy said, pointing to herself.

Lori bent over laughing at the stunned look on the Doctor's face.

"Oh, is that so?" the Doctor said, closing the front door and folding his arms over his chest.

"Yup, that so," Mandy said.

"I've face worse than you, little preschooler, bring it on!" the Doctor said.

"Come on, you weirdo, let him step away from the door," Lori said, laughing as she took her daughter's hand.

Mandy walked away from the door while the Doctor closed it.

"Is River still asleep?" Lori asked him.

"I think so, yes."

"She can stay here if she wants. She doesn't have to come if she wants to sleep in, that's fine. I trust her," Lori said.

"I'll see what she wants to do then," the Doctor said.

He went downstairs while Mandy followed him. River was still sleeping so he went up to her and gently shook her.

"Hmmm?" River said, frowning in her sleep.

"Lori wants to do some errands but she said you can stay here and sleep if you want to," the Doctor said, laying his hand on her cheek.

River opened her eyes.

"I'm exhausted, love. The past couple of days have drained me as well but unlike you, I can't sleep for two hours and recover. So if you don't mind, I'd like to stay here while you go with her."

"No worries, I'll tell Lori."

Mandy came up to the sofa and leaned in.

"I'm going too," she said.

River smiled fondly and tousled her hair.

"Then your job is to watch him and make sure he doesn't get arrested or embarrass your mother, yeah?" she said.

Mandy giggled and nodded. River leaned up and kissed her cheek before the Doctor took her hand. River watched them go back upstairs before he lay her head back on the pillow and shut her eyes.

"She's not coming, Lori," the Doctor said when he found her in the kitchen. "She's exhausted from everything that's happened and she needs more of a rest than I had."

"I understand," Lori said. "I kinda figured that. The last thing she needs is to sit in a car for a few hours."

"What's wrong?" the Doctor said when he saw her frowning while she thought.

"I'm just thinking of everything we need before I head out. I need to stop at the post office so I have the stuff I need to mail," she said, patting her black pocketbook on the counter. "Oh yeah, I need to take some DVDs back to the hardware store. Be right back."

"Hardware store?" the Doctor said.

"Yeah, we go to this hardware store in Shirley. You can rent DVDs there and usually if you rent two, you get one free."

She left the room and came back two minutes later carrying three DVD cases, she slipped them inside her pocketbook and thought.

"I want a toy, Mommy," Mandy said while she thought.

"We might get you a tiny toy if you behave yourself today," she said to her. "Nothing huge or expensive. You have enough toys as it is."

Mandy nodded. Lori grinned.

"And if you behave yourself," she said to the Doctor, "I might get you a toy too."

"Really?" the Doctor said while Mandy giggled. "Wow, thanks Mum!"

She chuckled and patted his cheek. She made sure Rex had food and water before the three of them went downstairs to the garage. Lori paused when she saw River.

"Is she asleep? I wanted to make sure she knew that she can eat and relax while she's here," she said to the Doctor.

The Doctor held up his finger. He walked over while Mandy followed him.

"Hey, Munge," the Doctor said aloud while standing by the sofa. "Lori is too polite to beat you on the head and tell you to behave while we're gone doing human things so I'm here to warn you to be on your best or I will show you what for. That is all."

River raised her head up and looked at Lori.

"Hey, if I were you, I'd make him stay here because this man will drive you insane, trust me," she said groggily while she pointed to the Doctor.

"Oh, you are awake. Good, you heard me, carry on then," the Doctor said while Mandy giggled.

"Like I said, take this man with you at your own risk," River said to Lori.

"I'll keep an eye on him," Lori said after chuckling. "Have a nice rest, the house is yours."

"Thanks but I think I'll use the TARDIS," River said. "I don't want to impose."

"It's up to you but your welcome here."

River smiled at that and nodded.

"Thank you," she said.

"Now go back to sleep, Mungebucket, before I take a small hammer and knock you out."

Lori and Mandy laughed when River shot him a look, groaned and flopped her head back on the pillow. The Doctor patted her head and kissed it before he turned and took Mandy's hand.

XOXOXOXOXOXOXOX

"So…" Lori said as she drove down the country road. "We're going to go to Kennard for a quick tour before going to Shirley."

She was driving while the Doctor sat beside her. Mandy was sitting in the middle of the back seat, secured in a booster seat with a seatbelt across her lap.

"There's not much here, obviously," she said as she drove. "Just small farms and houses. It's very rural here. So I hope I don't bore you with my tour."

"No, I want to know about this area," the Doctor said. "I'm fascinated by humans."

"Well…" Lori said as she slowed and stopped on top of a small rise in the gravel road. "This right here is where a railroad track used to go through. When I was young, it was still in use and then they discontinued it and took out the tracks but…" she said, pointing to the right. "The children like to walk through here to Kennard when it's warm enough. It's about two miles, give or take. There's trees on either side of the little hill where the track used to be so it's very pleasant and shady."

"I like that," the Doctor said while he and Mandy looked where she was pointing. "It might be boring but your children have freedoms that children in the city don't have."

"And that's why we moved here," Lori said as she drove on. "We like that freedom. It's terrible when it snows heavily like it did this past winter but we have privacy and the kids can roam without fear of being kidnapped. We know most of the people around here and everyone looks out for everyone else. Most people move out here to raise kids or retire. The only problem is everyone knows everyone else's business. Actually, I'm surprised no one knows you're an alien around here. That kind of information spreads like wildfire but the children are very protective of you and I know they don't talk about you to outsiders. I think they're scared that someone might take you away," she said, turning onto the main road. "You know, all those movies like Men in Black or scary alien movies where they have scientists who like to cut up aliens. They don't want that happening to you so they keep quiet."

"I appreciate that. I want to blend in and just observe," the Doctor said. "I've been to Earth countless times but I always manage to find something new to marvel at and you might think it's boring here but there's always something fascinating about a place like this. Especially the history and the stories you hear when you get a tour like this."

"Well…if you want stories…" Lori said as she drove towards Kennard.

"Tell him the story about the butterfly and the birdie, Mommy."

Lori frowned and the Doctor chuckled when she shot him a confused look.

"What story, hon?" she asked, glancing back at Mandy.

"You know, the one about the butterfly and the birdie," Mandy said, shrugging.

The Doctor chuckled when Lori looked at him with a clueless look on her face.

"Um…one upon a time there was a bird and a butterfly landed on her head and she said to the butterfly, go away, and the butterfly flew away. The end," Lori intoned while the Doctor giggled.

They laughed when Mandy clapped enthusiastically.

"She's easy to please," Lori said to the Doctor. "Um, as for a story about Kennard. I hate to tell you that it's pretty dead now. It used to be more thriving when I was a kid but about all they have now is a crappy little store, the post office, a couple of churches and the elementary school that Tom and Shelly attend. Oh. And they have Goods Candies which is actually pretty well known in the US. They make very delicious and very expensive chocolate. Other than that, it's houses. But in 1974, they had this monster tornado outbreak and an F5 came through the town and nearly wiped it off the map.

"Ouch," the Doctor said, making a face.

"Yup, it flattened the elementary school but everyone in it was spared because they managed to make it down to the basement. The only fatality was the janitor. He tried to shut a door and it blew off the hinges and smacked him in the head and he died six months later of complications from that. I have some photos some of my family members took of the town after the tornado if you'd like to see them."

"Yes, please," the Doctor said.

They drove up a gentle hill into the town. There were houses on either side of the road along with plenty of trees. The town was quiet since most of the children were at school. He also saw plenty of Easter decorations on people's houses. Lori stopped at a crossroads and turned right into what the Doctor figured was the "downtown" section of the town since he saw the businesses up ahead. As they went over the rise where the train tracks used to be, the Doctor could see Goods Candies to the right, a yellow two story house with white trim and a little sign hanging above a shaded entrance. Off to the left were more houses and the remains of an abandoned bank with a sign on a pole out front. The sign was dilapidated and the Doctor could tell the bank building was very old.

"See, we used to have a bank here but not enough people used it so they closed," Lori said, slowing down and pointing it out. "And they left the building to rot since no one else wants to move into the town that time forgot. And this..." she said as she slowed down in front of a two story white building, "is the crappy grocery store that no one shops at now because it's crappy."

"Why is it crappy though? Because this is the town that time forgot?" the Doctor said.

"Well, sorta, this place is dying like I said. And the owner of the store was a lady who actually managed the store and made it thrive. She died several years ago, her husband sold the store and moved to Florida and jerks took it over and they basically buy food from New Castle and try to sell it back to people at an inflated price."

The Doctor stared at the building. On the far right side of the house was the store. There was an awning and another old sign above it. Under the awning were two windows on either side of a red wooden door. On the other side of the shop was a large porch that led down to a driveway. There was a black iron fence that started from the side of the store and went all around the property with an opening for the driveway. Lori turned left on the road beside the store and drove down it. She pointed out a couple of churches and then turned right and pointed to a large rectangular brick building at the end of the street.

"That's the elementary school there," she said, backing up and turning back down the road.

She drove back up to the store and turned left. She parked at a small tan brick building. There were two glass doors in the front at the top of five concrete steps. And there were two large plate glass windows on each side of the building. The left window had a sign in it that said NO TRESPASSING and the other side had post office flyers on it.

"Left side was a pizza shop," Lori said, pointing to the No Trespassing sign. "It had really good pizza but it went out of business and once again, no one moved in. The other side is the post office and I need to go inside. Wanna come?"

"Sure," the Doctor said.

Lori got out, shut her door, opened the back door and unbuckled Mandy's seatbelt while the Doctor shut his door and walked around the front of the car. Mandy slid out and took the Doctor's hand while Lori shut the door. She looked in her pocketbook while they walked up the steps. They went inside and the Doctor was shocked at the size of the interior. It was tiny, even smaller than a standard room. There was a closed door down a short hallway where the post office boxes were at. On the wall across from it was a cork board with FBI most wanted flyers on it. Around the corner were the mail slots for local and out of town mail and beside that was the window and counter. Across from that was a large table that had pens and forms on top of it. At first there was no one at the window and then a middle aged woman walked up and looked out to see who was there. She had tight blonde curls, a lined face and reading glasses perched on her hawkish nose. She had an imperious manner to her and she narrowed her eyes at the Doctor when she saw him. Lori ignored her while she put several envelopes into the out of town mail slot.

"What ya doin', Mommy?" Mandy said as she stood beside her.

"Mailing some letters, sweetie," Lori said as she put another envelope into the slot.

She looked at the Doctor.

"Bills, actually," she said, making a face and sticking her tongue out while he chuckled.

The Doctor glanced at the lady behind the counter and noticed she was glaring at them as if they were intruders. There was no one in the room besides them and she wasn't doing anything but she acted like they were inconveniencing her. Lori finished with the envelopes and walked over to her.

"Hi, I need to check my mail and I need a book of stamps," Lori said to her.

The woman turned and walked away and Lori caught the Doctor's eye and rolled hers.

"Bitch," she mouthed to him while she discreetly pointed to the window.

The lady came back and handed her a few envelopes and a book of stamps. Lori paid her, grabbed everything and took Mandy's hand while the Doctor followed her out.

"That was Rachel McAdams," Lori said when they were out of the building and reached the car. "She's the head postmistress. There's another woman that fills in for her when she takes vacation days and holidays which happens quite frequently. She thinks she's better than everyone else and her daughter is in the same grade as Brit and Brit says she's the same way."

"Does she usually look that annoyed then?" the Doctor said as he opened the back door and let Mandy climb inside.

"Yes, that's her usual expression. This post office is dead most of the time and there's nothing for her to do, really, but she acts like we're just keeping her from her work. She's a hag to everyone, not just you so everyone ignores her for the most part."

The Doctor fastened the seatbelt across Mandy's lap and shut the door while Lori got in. He walked around the back and got inside the car.

"So…impressed yet?" she said to him with a twinkle in her eye.

"Well, I know I would run screaming from this place if I were forced to live here," the Doctor said as he shut his door and reached for his seatbelt.

"And that, my friend, is why the town is slowly dying," Lori said while she started up the car. "So…now we go on to Shirley which is slightly bigger than Deadsville here and has a bit more to it. Ready?"

"Lead on, Macduff!" the Doctor said.

Lori chuckled, put the car in gear and drove off.


	7. Chapter 7

Chapter Seven

Lori drove up to a road the curved around in front of Goods Candies and drove down it.

"This…" she said, pointing to a barren patch of land as they neared the outskirts of the town, "used to have a grain elevator on it that no one used in years. The whole thing was falling down and finally, FINALLY, they tore it down two years ago. I think because kids would go inside and end up getting hurt. But it was another lovely eyesore in this town. Oh!" she said as she slowed down and stopped just beyond the outskirts. "Aha, see the empty house in the middle of the dirt field," she said, pointing to a prefab house sitting in the middle of two acres of dirt off to the Doctor's right. "Some idiot had the bright idea of trying to build a housing development here in Kennard. He got as far as building one house before he discovered a problem. When it rains heavily, this whole field floods completely and turns into a small lake. So basically you have one house and whoever is in it marooned inside a tiny lake until the water goes down and then you have mud all over the place till it dries out."

The Doctor giggled at that.

"There's no road leading to it," the Doctor said, pointing to the house.

"I know, that's because they discovered the slight problem before he built the nice little road for his housing development. And…no one wants to live in a dirt field that floods at the slightest downpour, so there goes the idea of building the Great Kennard Housing Development!"

The Doctor giggled again as Lori drove on.

"So…the house adds to the collection of derelict buildings in the town, eh?" the Doctor said to her.

"Yup!" Lori said while the Doctor laughed. "Aren't ya glad you can time travel and not live in Podunk Central?"

"Very glad," the Doctor said.

She drove on past a few more farmhouses until she reached a junction.

"Oh! Must show you this too," she said, turning down a road to her left. "You have to see Grant City."

"Grant City? There's a city out here?" the Doctor said.

He snickered when Lori snorted at that. She drove a mile down the road until she reached a hill. On top of the hill on the right side was a small church and across from that was a house. Next to the church was another road with two more houses on either side of it. Lori stopped on top of the hill.

"Welcome to Grant City," she said, pointing to a road sign beside the church.

"What? This?" the Doctor said, looking around.

"Yeah, three houses and a church is a city out here. Isn't it lovely? Well, let's move on," she said while the Doctor chortled while Mandy giggled.

She turned into the tiny church parking lot and went back the other way.

"Next on our Hillbilly tour of Indiana is Shirley, Indiana. Once headquarters of the KKK," Lori said as she drove.

"Seriously?" the Doctor said, "when was this?"

"The 1930's and thereabouts."

"What's the KKK, Mommy?" Mandy said to her.

"A very hate filled group of people who don't like whites and people who aren't like them and don't think like them," Lori said, glancing over her shoulder. "And speaking of that, the charming cousins aren't the only racists here. There are no minorities that I know of within a ten mile radius. They're all in New Castle and the bigger cities because there are a lot of jerks like Jack and Randy who would give them hell. When Brit was in kindergarten, a black family did move into Kennard and the daughter was in the same class as Brit. They were a novelty for the children, to say the least. They didn't stay very long though. And when I was a kid, a black family tried to move to Kennard and the night before they moved into the house, someone blew it up."

"Blimey," the Doctor said.

"Yeah," Lori said, rolling her eyes. "That's another reason why the children don't talk about you to outsiders. Not just you being alien but I'm sure some of them don't like British people either. But yeah, if they knew about you, the FBI would be out here before you could blink."

"I'm glad you're not like that then," the Doctor said.

"My family didn't believe in that and I was raised to be tolerant," Lori said. "Jim's family did but he thought it was stupid and he didn't follow their example. Believe me; I wouldn't have married him if he was racist. Ah…" she said, slowing down when they reached a bend in the road.

She pointed to the right and the Doctor saw another farmhouse. Beside it was a fenced in area and there were ten bison inside grazing. In the huge yard was several collapsed amusement park rides.

"They raise bison for a living," Lori said while they looked at the house. "And they run amusement park rides for the carnivals and state fair. That's why they have those rides in the yard. That's their summer income. They're nice people. Sometimes they slaughter one of the bison and sell the meat at a farmer's market outside Knightstown."

Lori drove on. About a half mile after the house, she turned left and the Doctor saw another town up ahead. Houses were crowded close together on either side of the road with trees in between them. Lori slowed down again at the outskirts of the town and pointed to a tiny white house.

"Last year, a six year old girl was getting off the bus and went back to retrieve a piece of paper that went under it. The bus driver didn't see her, ran her down and killed her. She lived here," Lori said.

"That's horrible," the Doctor said.

"I know. And because very little happens around here, it was major news for a few weeks," Lori said with a sigh as she drove on. "And everyone from kindergarten to twelfth grade had to watch a film about bus safety."

About a half mile later, they drove out of the wooded area and into the business district of the town. Lori slowed down and pointed to a gas station.

"Gas station here," she said, stopping for a moment. "And over here," she said, pointing to a tan building at the end of a long road, "is the grocery store. Beyond it is the baseball field. Little league plays there and they have a Founder's Day festival there in the fall. In front of us," she said, pointing to hill with railroad tracks on top, "is a working railroad. But it's only used for a passenger train that goes between here and Knightstown on the weekends."

She drove up and over the tracks and slowed down when she got to the other side.

"There's a bar right there," she said, pointing to a business off to the right. "Beside it, used to be a very good restaurant that we sometimes went to but the owner died and it fell into ruin."

She drove up twenty feet and stopped at a long tan brick building with a two large plate glass windows and a glass door between them.

"This is now an Amish style restaurant. It is owned by Amish but the staff for the most part isn't and it's very crappy and expensive food. We ate there once and never again," Lori said. "Here," she said, pointing to a brick building across the road, "is their post office. Bigger but still with only one person manning it who is also a hag," she said while the Doctor chuckled. "Okay," she said, driving up slightly to an abandoned building next to the restaurant, "when I was a girl, this was a drug store with a restaurant in it. It went out of business and well…there was some sort of church inside it but I don't think there is anymore."

She drove up another ten feet and parked outside another brick building with a glass door and plate glass window.

"And this is the hardware store," she said, grabbing her pocketbook.

The Doctor unbuckled his seatbelt while Lori got out, shut the door and opened the back. The Doctor waited on the pavement while Lori got Mandy out of the car, took her hand and slammed the door. He followed them inside, a doorbell above the door ringing as they went in. A middle aged woman with black curly hair came out from a back room behind the front counter and smiled when Lori waved at her and put the DVDs on the counter.

"Can we get more, Mommy?" Mandy asked, tugging at her hand.

"Yes, baby, give me a second," Lori said. "Doctor, this is Janice. This is the Doctor, a relative of mine from England. He's visiting us."

"England, wow," Janice said, shaking his hand. "You're a doctor?"

"I am. Doctor is an affectionate nickname everyone calls me," the Doctor said.

"Well, welcome to the middle of nowhere then," Janice said while Lori laughed.

"Lori's been giving me a tour of the area," the Doctor said.

"Must be a short, boring tour then," Janice said.

"Mommy, can we get more DVDs?"

"Just a moment, honey," Lori said to her. "Listen, why don't you go with Doctor and show him where they are while I get something Daddy needs, okay?"

"Okay," Mandy said happily as she let go of her hand and took the Doctor's hand.

They walked through a doorway to the right and the Doctor saw several shelves with DVDs on them at the front while the hardware store continued from the middle of the room on back. Mandy led him to a small wall mounted shelf at the back of the room.

"These are new ones," Mandy said, pointing to them. "We usually take some of these."

"I see," the Doctor said, looking over the selection. "So, what do you want then, love?"

"Cartoons or Disney stuff," Mandy said.

"Cartoons or Disney stuff…hmmm…" the Doctor said, looking at the DVDs. "Ah, how about Cars 3 then?" he said, selecting a DVD near the top that had Lightning McQueen and Mater on the case.

"I saw that but I like it," Mandy said as Lori came into the room carrying a tiny sack and her pocketbook.

"Sorry, had to get some nails for Jim. He's doing a project," she said, coming up to them and putting the sack in her pocketbook. "A friend of his makes homemade bird houses and Jim's going to try it so I had to ask Janice what nails are appropriate for that. Did she choose anything?"

"Cars 3," the Doctor said, showing her the case.

"Is this what you want?" Lori said to Mandy.

Mandy nodded and Lori took it from the Doctor. They selected two more DVDs before Lori took them to the counter. She paid five dollars for two of them and got the third one free. Then they waved goodbye to Janice and she told them to enjoy the tour before they left.

"Okay, so we go back around to the grocery store and get a few things," Lori said to the Doctor. "Oh, up there," she said, pointing up the street, "is the fire station, another bar and a small family restaurant that is good but you have to eat what they feel like cooking on that day. Also they have a tiny antique store in there and beside it is a small knickknack shop. Kennard also has a fire station too and a sheriff but I think I told you once that it would take a nuclear war to get him to move his butt and do anything and even then he'd have to think about it. But Kennard's fire station was that tan building across from the post office. And also that houses the city council, such as it is. But that is the grand tour of Nowhereville, USA! I'm sure you're just awed beyond words now," Lori added while Mandy giggled. "I know it's a lot to take in so you may want to rest when we get back home."

"Yeah, I might have to have another rest after seeing the wonder that is rural Indiana," the Doctor said, picking up Mandy while he walked around the car. "All those skyscrapers and monuments and statues is overwhelming."

"And your eyes might hurt after seeing all the white skin," Lori said while she walked around to her side of the car. "Go ahead and let her stay unbuckled since we're going one hundred feet to the store."

"You got it, in ya go," the Doctor said, opening the back door. "After you, Madam," he said as Mandy climbed inside. "Where will you be going in this limousine then?"

"Huh?" Mandy said to him while sitting on her booster seat.

"Never mind, just teasing ya, love," the Doctor said before closing the door.

He got into the car, shut the door and relax while Lori did a U-turn and went back the other way.


	8. Chapter 8

Chapter Eight

"So…we leave Hillbilly Hell behind for a bit and go on to Greenfield," Lori said to him after they left the store and headed out of Shirley.

"Break it down now!"

The Doctor frowned and looked behind his shoulder when he heard Mandy say that. She was murmuring "Boom-chicka-boom-chicka-boom-chicka-boom-break it down now!" over and over while looking at a picture book. The Doctor looked at Lori and she giggled.

"She does that sometimes. I don't know where she heard it but apparently she likes singing that. It gets annoying sometimes but eventually she stops.

"Break it down now! Boom-chicka-boom-chicka-boom-chicka-boom-break it down now!" she said while she turned a page in her book.

The Doctor giggled when Lori shot him a glance and rolled her eyes.

"She's bored now," Lori said, hooking her thumb back at her daughter while she continued to sing the phrase over and over and look at her book. "Okay…distracting you from that…" she said as she neared the ramp that led down to I-70. This big restaurant and truck stop used to be a very good restaurant called the Safari Inn, now it's just the usual greasy spoon trucker hangout and over here," she said, pointing to a paved road in a field that went nowhere. "This was supposed to be a hotel but they got as far as the road and just stopped and it's been like that for about ten years now. The road to nowhere which sums up this area," she said while the Doctor giggled.

He giggled harder when Mandy said, "Break it down now!"and continued her song. The Doctor and Lori cracked up at that while she turned onto the ramp and headed down to the interstate. She kept on going while Lori drove towards Greenfield. Suddenly, the Doctor jerked his head around.

"What do you want to break down?" he said to Mandy.

Lori glanced in the rearview mirror and giggled when Mandy stopped short and stared at him in confusion.

"Huh?" she said.

"You keep saying break it down now, what do you want to break down?" the Doctor said.

The two of them stared at each other for a moment before Mandy said, "Break it down now!" and went back to examining her picture book and singing. Lori laughed when the Doctor looked at her and shrugged helplessly.

XOXOXOXOXOXOXOX

"Aha!" Lori said as she took the exit ramp for Greenfield. "Something that will make her be quiet!"

"What?" the Doctor said while Mandy continued to sing to herself.

"WHITE CASTLES!" Lori yelled.

The Doctor looked over his shoulder and saw Mandy jerk her head up and stop singing.

"Chicken rings, Mommy!" she said, slapping the back of Lori's seat.

"See, told ya it'd get her off her song," Lori said to the Doctor as she slowed to a stop at the top of the ramp.

She turned left and the Doctor saw a small city up ahead. But directly by the ramp was a WhiteCastle restaurant. The building was white and shaped like a castle and he could see three cars going through the drive thru on the side.

"Chicken rings, Mommy!" Mandy said insistently.

"Alright, hon, I heard ya," Lori said as she slowed down and turned into the parking lot. "God strike me dead if I don't get her chicken rings. Did you want something?" she said to the Doctor, stopping momentarily before getting in the drive thru."

"What do they have? Besides chicken rings, I mean," the Doctor said.

"Cheeeeeseburgers," Mandy said.

"Yes, they have cheeeeeseburgers," Lori said with wide eyes while Mandy giggled. "Hamburgers, chicken rings, fries, onion rings and cheese sticks and soda."

"Burger sounds good," the Doctor said.

"Any fries or anything like that?"

"Fries is fine," the Doctor said.

"Okay. I'll get some for lunch at home. What about River?"

"Um…" the Doctor said, trying to think what she'd like, "I suppose burgers for her as well and fries."

"Okay," Lori said, heading into the drive thru.

XOXOXOXOXOXOXOX

After getting the food, Lori kept the sacks beside her while she gave her daughter two of her chicken rings and a small cup of Coke. She and the Doctor sipped their Cokes while she drove across the street into a strip mall. She parked near a Payless Shoe shop and turned off the car. She looked back at her daughter who was munching contentedly on a chicken ring. Mandy noticed her mother looking at her and stopped chewing her food.

"Hi," Lori said while the Doctor turned his head to look at Mandy.

"Hi, Mommy," Mandy said. "More chicken rings?"

"When you get home. But for the moment, we gonna get you…SHOES!"

The Doctor frowned when Mandy recoiled as if she'd been bitten by a snake and said, "No!"

"This is like pulling teeth for her," Mandy said to the Doctor, gesturing to the shoe store. "That's why I got the food so I could bribe her to do it. But she needs new shoes desperately. She hates taking off her shoes and putting different ones on. If she had her way, she'd go barefoot 24/7."

"Hey! I like shoes!" the Doctor said to Mandy.

Mandy looked at him.

"You do?" she said.

"I love shoes. New shoes make me happy."

"You get new shoes then," Mandy said.

"How about if I help you find pretty shoes for your pretty feet?" the Doctor said.

Mandy thought for a moment.

"You go with me?" she said.

"I go with you and help you find pretty new shoes that you can skip in."

"Okay," Mandy said.

Lori blinked in surprise.

"Thanks," she said to the Doctor.

"Nah, no worries. Just trying to help you have a simpler day," the Doctor said with a shrug.

Lori beamed as she unbuckled her seatbelt and grabbed her pocketbook. Most of the time she had to drag her daughter into the shoe store but she looked back and noticed her daughter was unbuckling herself and putting her cup beside her booster seat. She was amazed at how much change had come to her family since the Doctor came into her life. Not only were the holidays more pleasant but Michelle was coming out of her shell more and more and now Mandy wasn't making a fuss about shoes. She didn't know if her friend had ever been a father but he was a natural when it came to speaking to children. She guessed it was because in many ways, he was a childlike figure himself. He was very tolerant and patient around them and the children adored him. They couldn't wait to call him each week and we're happy whenever he came to see them. She thanked God every day that the Doctor came into their lives as she opened her door and prepare to go with them into the shoe store.


	9. Chapter 9

Chapter Nine

Once again, Lori was amazed how willing her daughter was to try on new shoes when the Doctor was there, teasing her and making her laugh. She finally decided on a pair of pink and white Nikes and the Doctor urged her to walk around while she stood with him and admired them. They laughed when Mandy began to strut around and pretend to be a fashion model while they clapped enthusiastically. While they drove on, Lori finally had to ask her friend if he had ever been a parent.

"Yes, long ago," he said while they drove down I-70 towards home.

"I can tell, you're a natural at parenting," Lori said.

"Well, I love children," the Doctor said.

"I can tell that too. I'm glad you're here to help. Besides, it gets boring sometimes with just me and Mandy during the day. It's nice to have other adults here to talk to."

"You mean you don't enjoy the constant repetition of break it down now?" the Doctor teased.

He laughed when Lori rolled her eyes and shook her head.

"I want to apologize too," Lori said.

"For what?" the Doctor said with a frown.

"For the scuzziness of the area. It's embarrassing showing you just how hick it really is," she said.

"Nah, it's not your fault the place is seedy. Besides, I've been to mankier places than Kennard, Indiana. No worries. I quite enjoyed your tour. I love knowing my surroundings and learning the history of it. Please don't be embarrassed. I'm glad that it didn't affect you and turn you in a beer swilling redneck while you were growing up."

"Oh God, that's the last thing I want for me or my family," Lori said.

"Mommy, I got new shoes!" Mandy chirped.

"I know, baby, do you like them?" Lori said, looking at her in the rearview mirror while Mandy inspected her feet.

"Yes," Mandy said.

"Good because they were worth the cost of new ones," Lori said to the Doctor. "She runs and plays so much that secondhand shoes from Goodwill just won't cut it. We can't afford shoes all the time so we have to make them last."

The Doctor thought about that. He had an idea forming in his mind, once again to help his adopted family but he kept the idea to himself for the moment.

XOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOX

When they arrived home and came through the door, the Doctor called out for River as he carried in the sacks of food and his drink. He heard her call back and went into the lounge where she was sitting and reading a book from the TARDIS library while Rex lay near her. He perked up and trotted over to the Doctor. The Doctor greeted him hello with a rub to the head before he zoomed over to River.

"Break it down now!" the Doctor said when he reached River. "Boom-chicka-boom-chicka-boom-chicka-boom-break it down now!"

"What are you doing?" River said while Mandy and Lori giggled.

"Singing to you, you don't like it?" the Doctor said innocently.

"Not really, no," River said.

"It's Mandy's song, she made it up all by herself," the Doctor said.

"Then let it be her song and you find one of your own that's less annoying," River said.

"We have lunch, burgers and chips," the Doctor said, holding up the sacks. "Tiny burgers that you can eat in two bites. I got you burgers and chips because I didn't know what you wanted."

"Thank you, sweetie!" River said, patting his cheek.

He grinned at her.

"BREAK IT DOWN NOW! BOOM-CHICKA…"

"Oh, button it and go away," River said, rolling her eyes.

XOXOXOXOXOX

After passing out the food, Lori went and got the photo albums. She came out of her bedroom with four of them and gave them to the Doctor while he, River and Mandy sat on the sofa.

"The tornado photos are in the top one," Lori said, pointing to the first album.

"Tornado photos?" River said to the Doctor while he thanked Lori.

The Doctor explained what Lori said about the tornado devastating Kennard while he sat the bottom three beside him and opened the top one. At the front were a few photos from the 1800's. Old faded tintype photos of men and women with Lori's descriptions of who they were written under them. River snuggled with the Doctor and they ate their food while they looked at the photos. When they got to the tornado photos, the Doctor was amazed at the damage. Half the town had been flattened to the ground, trees were splintered like toothpicks and there was devastation all over.

"And only one fatality from this?" River said to the Doctor while she pointed to one of the photos.

"Yeah and six months after this happened," the Doctor said.

"I'm surprised, given the damage here," River said.

"So am I but you shoulda seen the town now. It's been rebuilt but they still have empty buildings there."

"Well, small town like that, not many people wanna live there now."

"That's what Lori said," the Doctor said, nodding, as Mandy came over and munched on a chicken ring while she looked at the photos.

They looked through the photo albums, the Doctor loving the photos of his adopted family in different stages of their lives and especially the baby photos of the children. While they did that, Lori straightened up the house and tried to plan what to have for supper. The Doctor came to a photo of Lori and her parents and remember what Michelle had said.

"Lori," the Doctor called to her.

"Yeah?" Lori said, coming from the kitchen.

"I'm looking of a photo of you and your parents. Michelle said that your mum died. What about your dad then? I'm sorry, I shouldn't have said…" he said, holding up his head when he saw the stricken look on her face.

"No, it's fine," Lori said, walking over to them. "Mom died about five years ago and Dad went a bit berserk with grief. They were extremely close and when she got pancreatic cancer, he tried everything he could to save her and blamed himself when she died. He became very depressed after that and we tried to help him but he finally moved to LA to get away from us. I haven't heard from him in a couple of years. I think he just lost a part of himself when he lost Mom. That's why he wasn't around for the holidays."

"And Jim's parents?" River said.

"They died in a car crash when he was a teenager and his grandparents raised him but they're both dead now," Lori said.

"Oh, I'm sorry," the Doctor said.

Lori nodded and stroked Mandy's cheek when she came and stood beside her.

"The children never knew them but I met them when I was dating Jim and they were good folks, although they were racist as I said. "But they meant well. But my dad…" she said with a sigh, "I can understand his grief because I lost Mom too but to cut himself off from his family and grandchildren," she said, rubbing Mandy's cheek.

"That's why I brought him here," River said, pointing to the Doctor. "I didn't want him ending up like that and cutting himself off from everyone because he lost Mum and Dad."

"Are you better now?" Mandy said, walking up to the Doctor.

"I am," the Doctor said, tousling her hair. "And I hope things work out between you and your father."

"I hope so too, for his sake," Lori said. "He shouldn't be isolated like that. Especially since his mental state was fragile to begin with. But I tried calling him repeatedly and emailing him and he won't answer me so there's nothing I can do on my end."

"Maybe in time he'll realize that he's missing out on his grandchildren and reconnect," River said. "Just give him time."

"I am, that's all I can do right now," Lori said.

"I do love the photos, by the way," the Doctor said. "I love the ones of the children when they were small."

Lori chuckled and nodded.

"Do you have any of yourself when you were a child?" she said.

"No. My family had the holocubes that contained the photos of me as a child and those were destroyed with Galilfrey."

"That's horrible. You lost your family too?"

"Yeeeeah but…to be honest, I was never close to most of my family and I lost contact centuries beforehand. The people that traveled with me, they became my family and I lost some of them as well."

"You've had a rough life," Lori said.

"I have but…I try to focus on the good and let the bad fall by the wayside. Doesn't always work but I try," he said.

"That's all you can do sometimes," Lori said with a shrug. "Gotta keep moving forward and pressing on."

"I agree," the Doctor said, nodding.

"Well, I was thinking about what to fix for tonight, do you have any ideas?" Lori said. "I was considering tacos and some Mexican food."

"Ooo, that sounds delicious!" the Doctor said.

"Tacos, Mommy, I want tacos!" Mandy said, jumping up and down.

"How about you, dear?"

"I wouldn't mind having that. I vote for tacos," River said.

"Okay, I guess it's unanimous then," Lori said, "Enjoy the photos while I prepare the meat for tonight."

The Doctor thanked her and they watched while she walked into the kitchen. He set the photo albums aside and stood up.

"Come with me for a moment, I want to get your opinion on something," he said to River.

"Can I come?" Mandy said.

"Sure, come with me then," he said, taking her hand.

River and Rex followed them as he headed for the stairs.


	10. Chapter 10

Chapter Ten

"Okay, so what is this about?" River said when everyone was inside the TARDIS and he closed the door.

The Doctor was about to answer when Mandy tugged on his trouser leg.

"Hey, are there bears in here?" she asked.

River laughed when the Doctor froze with his mouth wide open while Mandy waited for an answer.

"No," the Doctor finally said. "We did have a cougar in here but it's now in some nature preserve somewhere. And we have a doggie in here now," he said, pointing to Rex. "But no bears."

There was a flash and a small panda bear plushie appeared at Mandy's feet. Mandy let out an "Ooo!" and picked it up and cuddled it.

"Thanks, girl," the Doctor said, looking at the ceiling. "Anyway, this is my idea. I would like to give Lori and Jim money."

"Okay," River said, frowning. "Haven't you done that already? You paid for their groceries and meals, yeah?"

"I mean bigger than that. As in purchasing a winning lottery ticket so they won't have to worry about money…ever."

"Okay…" River said, not seeing the problem with that. "And you need to ask my opinion on this?"

"Well, it's because Lori and Jim are proud people and I don't want to impose," the Doctor said.

River did a double take.

"Sweetie, they may be proud but they're still trying to make do and raise a family. I'm sure if you offered to give them a winning lottery ticket for millions, they wouldn't refuse it."

"I just wanted to ask your opinion."

"Okay, I say, do it," River said.

"And you, what do you think?" the Doctor said to Mandy.

"I like this teddy," Mandy said, hugging the panda close to her.

"Okay, so that's one for helping and one for liking the teddy," the Doctor said while River giggled. "Reg, what do you think?"

Rex barked once.

"So…to recap, one for helping, one for liking teddies and one for going for walkies so he can do his business," the Doctor said while River laughed harder. "I think it's settled then. Let's go and tell Lori."

XOXOXOXOXOXOXOX

Lori was busy chopping lettuce and tomatoes in the kitchen in preparation for dinner. She glanced at the clock and noticed it was nearly time for Tom and Michelle to come home.

"Lori?"

Lori looked over her shoulder when the Doctor, River, Mandy and Rex entered the room.

"Hey, guys, just getting some stuff ready for tonight. Where'd you get that?" she said, looking at the panda bear.

"Uncle Doctor gave it to me," Mandy said.

"Actually, my TARDIS gave it to her," the Doctor said. "Lori, I wanted to ask permission to do something for you and the family."

"Yeah?" Lori said, glancing at him.

"Well, when Donna was lost to me and I could no longer be around her, I made sure she was provided for when she married so I went forward in time, got the winning lotto numbers and went back to get her a winning lottery ticket for millions so she'd always have money. I'd like to do the same for you and your family."

Lori stopped chopping and froze in a stunned silence. She slowly looked at the Doctor, disbelief on her face.

"You want to give us a winning lottery ticket?" she said, dropping the knife on the cutting board.

"I want you and your family to always have nice things and not have to worry about anything like shoes when you need them," he said, putting his hand on Mandy's head. "But I don't want to impose and make it seem like I'm giving you a handout when that's not what I'm doing. I want to help because I love all of you so very much."

"Impose? Giving us a ticket for millions is imposing?" Lori said, a bemused smile spreading over her face.

"I told him that was ludicrous," River said. "He pulled me into the TARDIS to ask my opinion about this because he was afraid he'd insult you and Jim by giving you millions of dollars."

"Wait," Lori said, holding up her hand. "If Donna couldn't have any contact with you, how'd you get the lottery ticket to her?"

"I gave it to her mother and grandfather to give to her as a wedding gift."

"Okay, so how did they react? Did they tell you to buzz off because Donna and her husband could manage without you?"

"No, they were overjoyed," the Doctor said.

"And you think we wouldn't be?" Lori said while River laughed. "I mean, we do have to scrimp and save to make ends meet and shoes are a luxury at times. Jim makes good money but there's us and four kids and a dog in the house and we have to provide for all of them so yes, honey, any help you can give us monetarily would be much appreciated. So there's your permission, okay?"

The Doctor chuckled and hugged her.

"I just want to make sure you never want for anything, especially when I'm not here," the Doctor said.

"Doctor, you've been a godsend in our lives and I thank you and River so much for being here for us and adopting us as much as we've adopted you," Lori said, tearing up. "Believe me, this will be appreciated for as long as we live."

The Doctor hugged her again while tears fell down her face. He smiled and patted her back when she gushed out her thanks to him. She stepped back when he let go and wiped her eyes.

"And Jim will love you to death also so you have my permission to do all this," she said.

"Okay, well, I need to go forward in time to get the lottery numbers so when do they announce the mega lottery or whatever it's called?"

"Powerball lottery is usually on Friday night at nine o'clock," Lori said.

"Okay, well…here's what I need to do then. Go forward to Friday and get the winning numbers. Then I need to go back and get the ticket so where do you usually get lottery tickets when you get them."

"Kroger at New Castle, the one we shopped at for Thanksgiving."

"Brilliant. Well, I'll go ahead and do this for you and make sure you have the lottery ticket so I'll be back in a few minutes."

He hurried out of the room. Lori and River glanced at each other and River hugged her when she burst into tears again.

XOXOXOXOXOXXOXOXO

(Friday night in the future…)

"Look, guys, there he is," Lori said, pointing to the TARDIS as it materialized in their living room.

Everyone was sitting on the sofa and in the chairs while they watched TV. The door opened and the Doctor stepped out, pad and pen in hand.

"Hello," the Doctor said. "I'm here to get the winning numbers."

"Which is odd since we already have them," Lori said, showing him the winning ticket in her hand.

"Well, that's because I am successful in my mission," the Doctor said.

He glanced at Jim.

"You're cool with all this?" he asked him as he sat in the chair. "Just asking."

"Am I cool with being a multimillionaire? Does a bear shit in the woods?" he said while the children laughed.

"Just checking," the Doctor said while everyone laughed.

He stood by the sofa, pen at the ready while the winning lottery numbers were about to be announced.

"This is so freaky," Brittany said as she sat on the sofa. "We have the ticket and he's here getting the numbers."

"That's time for ya, wibbly wobbly," the Doctor said to her.

"And now for tonight's Powerball drawing for 130 million dollars," the male presenter said. "The winning numbers are…24, 10, 2, 16, 30 and the Powerball number is 7."

"Did we win?" Michelle said while Lori checked the ticket.

"No. Sorry, children, the knucklehead screwed up on writing the numbers down,'" Lori said.

"I better not have," the Doctor said while they all laughed.

"Just kidding. Okay, children and Jim and Rex, we are now millionaires!"

The children cheered and ran to embrace the Doctor while Rex barked furiously and circled around him. The Doctor checked the numbers on his pad with the ticket, hugged Lori and waved goodbye to everyone as he climbed back in his TARDIS. They cheered and whooped and hollered as it dematerialized.

"Well, I guess we'll need to contact a lawyer now before we cash this in," Lori said to her husband as she held up the winning ticket.


	11. Chapter 11

Chapter Eleven

"Come on, Tom, Mommy and the Doctor and River are waiting," Michelle said as she got off the bus with her brother.

They ran to the house, eager to see them again. They yelled and waved when the Doctor appeared in the bay window and waved at them.

"Get out of the window!" Michelle yelled at him when she reached the brick walkway beside the window.

"NO!" the Doctor yelled at her and grinned when she laughed and sprinted up the porch steps.

They went inside and Lori greeted them at the door.

"Children, we're going to be rich," she said to them. "The Doctor is helping us win millions of dollars."

Tom and Michelle's eyes widened and the Doctor walked into the hallway with River and Rex. Lori showed them the winning lottery ticket the Doctor gave her.

"He did this for us so we won't have to worry about money ever again," she said to them.

"Are you an angel?" Tom said, walking over to the Doctor.

The Doctor chuckled.

"I've been called that before but no, I'm not," he said.

"Really? Because I wonder that myself at times," Lori said, hugging him. "Anyway, we'll tell the others when they get home but get your coats and shoes off and do your homework if you need to. We're having Mexican food tonight."

The children cheered and ran down the hallway.

XOXOXOXOXOXOXOX

The Doctor and River sat on the sofa, relaxing while Michelle sat in the chair by the window while she read her history textbook.

"So? Civil War still?" the Doctor said after watching her for a moment.

"Yeah, but we talked about Abraham Lincoln getting shot today," Michelle said, looking up from her book.

"Ah! He was a very nice man," the Doctor said.

"You met him?" Michelle said, awed.

"Yes. Not in this body, in a previous life, I did," the Doctor said.

"In the Donna life?" Michelle said.

"No, earlier than that. Donna Life? Heh," the Doctor said, grinning at River. "So my tenth life is my Donna Life now."

"Was she the only one that traveled with you?" Michelle said.

"No, Amy and Rory did and River does."

"No, I mean in your Donna life, did anyone else come with you?"

"Yes, several people traveled with me or helped me during that life."

"Like who? Were there girls?"

"Yes, there were several girls and a few boys."

"Did they like traveling with you?"

"Yes," the Doctor said. "At least I never had any complaints from them…no wait, I did have a complaint from someone's mum but that's because the crafty witch snuck in my TARDIS when I wasn't looking and I ended up leaving with her on board."

"Was she really a witch?" Michelle said.

"Witch as in Harry Potter, no. Witch as in pain in the bum, yes," the Doctor said to her while River chuckled.

"Did you like the witch's son or daughter?" Michelle said.

"Daughter and yes, I did, very much," the Doctor said wistfully.

"I wish I could meet her," Michelle said.

"Why?" the Doctor said with genuine curiosity.

"Just so I can ask her a few questions about traveling with you."

"Well, ask River, she's available," the Doctor said, pointing to his wife.

"Do you mind?" Michelle said to her.

"No, hon, I don't mind. What do you want to ask?" River said with a shrug.

"I just want to know where you've been and what you seen and if you've ever gotten hurt and is it dangerous?" Michelle said.

"Wow! Um…that would take a couple of hours to answer them all," River said while the Doctor chuckled. "But I will say this right now. Yes, it is dangerous and yes, I've gotten hurt several times. Are you worried about that?"

"A little," Michelle said.

"What about what happened to Amy and Rory, does that scare you?" the Doctor said.

Michelle thought about it.

"A little, I guess. I love Mommy and Daddy and my sisters and brother. I don't wanna be trapped somewhere where I can't see them. But if I see cool things, I'll risk it."

"Ah! Love, you'll see very cool things traveling with him," River said while the Doctor gave Michelle a cheesy grin.

"I just wanna hear some stories but right now, I gotta do this so can we do it later?" Michelle said.

"Sure, baby," River said.

"Thanks."

Michelle went back to studying while the Doctor grinned at his wife and put his arm around her. While they were watching TV, the Doctor's ears perked up when he heard the faint sound of the TARDIS downstairs. River heard it too and they shared a look before getting up and heading downstairs.

By the time they reached the storage room, the Tenth Doctor was emerging and looking around. His eyes settled on River and this time Eleven saw recognition mixed with pain in his eyes.

"Sorry, I was hoping this was a free day," Ten said to his counterpart. "I thought I would come for a visit but if you're here…"

"Wait," Eleven said, holding up his hand. "Where are you at this moment, timeline wise?"

"I just back from trying to help Adelaide," the Doctor said sadly.

"Ah! Okay, I see," Eleven said. "So, Donna is no longer with you then."

Ten shook his head sadly, his eyes cast downward.

"I just need to…"

"Recover from the shock?" Eleven said, feeling a bit of déjà vu from all of this.

"Yeah," Ten said. "River, nice to see you again," he said.

"And you," River said, nodding.

"I know who you are this time. Donna and I did meet you finally," Ten said.

The Doctor glanced at his wife, wondering if she would read into those words her final meeting with him but she nodded and smiled and the Doctor figured that she probably wasn't sure what life of his she would end her life on.

"Listen, come upstairs, forget about leaving. Lori is fixing tacos and Mexican food tonight and she'd love the company. Also, Bookworm's birthday is tomorrow and we're invited to attend. Would you like to do the same?"

"Really?" Ten said, smiling. "How old will she be?"

"Ten," Eleven said. "And you know her, she'll beg for you to stay and celebrate."

"After all I've been through lately, I could use some celebrating," Ten said with a weary sigh.

"Come upstairs then," Eleven said.

Eleven led everyone while he walked upstairs. He reached the top and stepped into the hallway. He looked at Michelle. She was still sitting in the chair, reading her textbook silently.

"Shelly, got a surprise for you," Eleven said in a singsong voice.

Michelle looked up and Eleven walked down the hallway so the others could come up. River appeared and then Ten. Michelle's eyes bulged and she cheered as she threw her book off her lap and ran to hug him. Lori came out of the kitchen to see what the commotion was and she grinned from ear to ear when she saw Ten.

"Wait, did you do this when you off getting the lottery ticket?" Lori said to Eleven as she walked towards him. "Did you go get your other self too?"

"No, this is entirely a coincidence," Eleven said. "However, he needs a bit of a rest because at this point, he also has experienced loss. What I said about Donna, he's lost her at this point and been through hell, to put it mildly."

"Oh no, not Donna too," Lori groaned.

"Too?" Ten said, frowning when she went to hug him. "Wait," he said, looking around. "Where are Amy and Rory?"

"That's what she means by "Too," Eleven said grimly. "River brought me here for the same reason you came."

"Oh no," Ten groaned before she hugged Lori.

"Come and relax," Lori said, taking his hand. "TOM, Uncle Past Doctor is here now!"

"Uncle Past Doctor?" Ten said, amused, while Lori led him to the living room.

Ten turned his head when he heard heavy footfalls and saw Tom dashing towards him, glee on his face.

"Shelly, finish your homework so you can hang out with them tonight," Lori said to her daughter.

"She's studying the assassination of Lincoln," Eleven said to his counterpart.

"Oh! Yes, very sad moment in history," Ten said, heading for the empty chair while Lori patted him on the back and let Tom follow him. "Wait, can I see your textbook? I don't trust those books to report history truthfully."

Michelle picked up the book from the floor, found her place and brought it to him.

"Your other self said you knew Lincoln," Michelle said to him while Ten hugged Tom.

"Yes, I did which is why I need to check to make sure this is accurate. I know more about Lincoln than some twenty first textbook author does," he said.

"You're that paranoid, huh?" River said while Eleven snickered.

Ten glanced at her and looked at the children.

"She's an archeologist, I point and laugh at them," he said to the children.

River raised her eyebrow while the Doctor chortled.

"Is that so?" River said, looking at her husband. "Do you think that as well then…Sweetie?"

Eleven cleared his throat and gave her a sheepish grin while she eyed him.

"I love you?" he said hesitantly while River rolled her eyes and shook her head.


	12. Chapter 12

Chapter Twelve

Ten, Eleven and River headed downstairs with the children and Rex following them. They let Ten lay on the sofa while Eleven and River stretched out on some blankets beside him. Rex came over to Eleven and Eleven rubbed his head while Ten doubled up the pillows under his head and stretched out. Michelle had brought her CD player with her and she plugged it in, set it beside the TV and turned on Backstreet Boys.

"What are you doing?" Ten asked her as I Want It That Way started playing.

"Soothing music," Michelle said as she, Tom and Mandy went around the sofa to the empty side.

"How is this soothing?" the Doctor said to them. "Classical music is soothing to me. Everybody, Backstreet's Back is not."

"I like them," Michelle said as the children sat on the sofa beside him.

Eleven sat up.

"Mandy, sing him the Break it Down Now song. He'll love Backstreet Boys after that."

"Huh?" Ten said while the children giggled.

"Lori gave me a tour of the surrounding area earlier and Mandy sang to us while we did it."

"She likes to sing this song," Michelle said. "She made it up."

"Break it down now!" Mandy said. "Boom-chicka-boom-chicka-boom-chicka-boom-break it down now!"

"That!" Eleven said, pointing to her, "is the song. Now imagine her repeating it over and over and over for a half hour straight."

"Blimey, I think I do prefer Backstreet Boys then," Ten said with wide eyes while the children laughed.

He smiled tenderly at Mandy and then looked at her panda bear.

"This is nice," he said, fingering its ear.

"The Doctor gave it to me," Mandy said, cuddling it close to her.

"The TARDIS gave it to her," Eleven said. "She asked if there were bears in the TARDIS and this was the old girl's response to her," he said, pointing to the bear.

"Are there bears?" Ten mused, glancing at him. "Blimey, I wouldn't be surprised if there was a menagerie in there somewhere by now. I have so much stuff accumulated through the years."

He made a face when Everybody, Backstreet's Back began playing. The children laughed when he began to move his hips around to the beat while he lay on the sofa. Then he began doing jazz hands while he mouthed, "Everyboooody, rock your booody!" Eleven nudged River and pointed to Ten while he continued to gyrate and mouth the lyrics. River sat up, looked at him and raised her eyebrow.

"Yup, he's definitely you," she said to Eleven.

They laughed when the children got up and danced by the sofa while Ten mouthed, "Am I original? Yeeeah! Am I the only one? Yeeeeah! Am I sexual? Yeeeeah!"

He stopped moving for a moment.

"This is one of the times when I'm glad Donna isn't here. I can just imagine her sarcastic comment about my gyrations and lip syncing. She'd probably tell me to grow up and act my age. Ah, well, gotta be immature sometimes," he said before he began to gyrate and lip sync again.

Eleven chuckled. He looked at River and began to lip sync the lyrics to her. River tried not to smile at that but a little upward turn at the corners of her mouth betrayed her. Rex got up, went around the sofa and sniffed at Tom's butt while he danced. He squealed when he felt Rex's nose on his butt and turned around. Rex wagged his tail while Tom danced beside him and stroked his back.

Then I'll Never Break Your Heart came on. The children bent over laughing when Ten snatched the panda bear off the sofa beside it and held it in front of him while he lip synced the song to it. They laughed harder when he hammed it up and stroked the bear's head while he proclaimed his undying love to it. Eleven chuckled and River cracked a smile.

"He's not gonna snog the bear, is he?" River said to her husband.

"Shush, you wanna give him ideas?" Eleven teased as he lightly smacked her arm.

The song ended and Ten smiled and gave the bear back to Mandy. He sighed contentedly while he put his hands on his brown pinstriped jacket and flicked his foot lazily while staring at the ceiling. The children sat back down and Rex went back around the sofa and lay back down by Eleven.

"Feel better?" Michelle asked him.

"A bit," Ten said to her. "Just weary. It's been a bit tiring lately."

"Who are you traveling with now?" Michelle asked.

"No one. Just me."

"How come?" Mandy said.

"I just can't take it at the moment," Ten said, putting his hand on Mandy's head. "I lost Donna and that was heartrending for me. I lost so many people or they left me that I just don't feel like being around other people at the moment, not while traveling, I mean."

"But you finally had to come here," Eleven said to him. "Losing Donna was a few weeks ago."

Ten stared at the ceiling and nodded.

"What happened to her?" Tom asked.

"She got filled with the Doctor's mind and memories and stuff and she was gonna die from it so the Doctor made her forget everything so she'd be safe," Michelle said.

"You told her?" Ten said to his counterpart.

"I told her only, no one else at the moment, although I have a feeling that's about to change since the others will want to know what happened to Donna," Eleven said.

"She got filled with your mind?" River said to Ten.

"She ended up with a Time Lord mind but had a human body and all that knowledge was too much for her. I had to wipe her mind or she would have burned up and perished," Ten said to her.

"Wait, would that have happened to me if I'd been born like that?" River said to her husband.

"You weren't born like that. You're only part Time Lord anyway," Eleven said.

He could see Ten do a double take at that and rise up on his elbows while he stared at her intently. He knew what his counterpart was thinking since River hinted at being his wife in The Library and he was sure he was stunned at hearing she had Time Lord DNA mixed in with human. But Ten didn't say anything, only listened to them while Eleven continued the conversation.

"You're part Time Lord with a human mind," Eleven said, talking both to River and to Ten even though he was looking at his wife. "So it's not the same as Donna's situation."

"Thank God for that," River said. "So…" River said, looking at Ten, "she can't ever remember you?"

"No. Because if she does, if the memories come back, the Time Lord mind will come back as well so to be on the safe side, I took that all away and I keep myself away from her."

"And there's no way to remedy this?" she said, looking at both Doctors. "You can't make it safe for her to remember?"

Eleven looked at Ten. Ten shrugged.

"Open to ideas if you have them, mate," Ten said.

"I…I'd have to think on that," Eleven said. "I thought it was impossible but…I keep saying nothing is impossible. Perhaps there is some way, although I don't know what it'd be at the moment."

"What about bad people," Michelle said to Ten.

"What about them?" Ten said.

"What if bad people try to get her because they know she's with you?" Michelle said to him.

The Doctor could see his counterpart wince slightly at that and he guessed that had happened at some point to Donna. He turned his head with a questioning look.

"Has it? You just pulled a face when she asked that."

"It has but she isn't harmed," Eleven said. "That failsafe you put into her saves her."

"Huh?" Michelle said. "Failsafe? What's that?"

"You mean the one that kicks in if she does start to remember?" Ten said.

Eleven nodded and Ten looked at Michelle.

"When I took away her memories, I wasn't sure if I got them all," Ten said to the children. "It's a very tricky business, taking out a person's memories, so just in case that happened; I put in a… mental safety device that would put her to sleep if she starts remembering me. Apparently, I was wise to do that then," he said, looking at his counterpart.

Michelle was fascinated by all this. She wondered if there really was a way to bring Donna back and if she might be able to help her adopted Uncles find a way to do it. For the moment though, she was still filled with questions about traveling with the Doctor and their adventures. She wasn't scared about being a companion if the Doctor ever allowed her to be one, just curious about the kind of risks she'd have to take if he did. Besides, she liked hearing the stories. It was far more interesting than her life in Indiana.

But they turned to making small talk until they heard the door open upstairs and Brittany announcing she was home. Rex tore off up the stairs, barking hello while Tom ran after him.

"Sissy, other Doctor is here now!" he squealed while Ten and Eleven chuckled.

Brittany came downstairs while Ten sat up. She squealed too and ran down the rest of the way, dropping her backpack on the floor as she ran to embrace him.

"Oh yes, I missed you!" Brittany said, hugging him tightly.

"And I missed you as well, all of you!" Ten said. "I better just go ahead and tell you thought that Donna is no longer traveling with me."

"Why not?" Brittany said.

Michelle repeated what she said earlier to her sister.

"So she's alive in the here and now?" Brittany said when her sister finished.

"She is but she can never remember me. At least until we find a solution, if one exists," Ten said.

Brittany sat down beside Ten in shock and Ten nodded sadly while he squeezed her shoulder.

"Do you think it could be done? Bringing her back?" Brittany said.

"I don't know, Brit. We'll try to find a way but I can't guarantee anything," Ten said. "Apparently, I never find a way because she's not traveling with him," he added, pointing to his counterpart. But I've had a rough time of it lately and I needed to see all of you."

"Well, Shelly's birthday's tomorrow and we're gonna go out and celebrate. Come with us," Brittany said.

"I'd love to," Ten said, smiling tenderly.

She looked over at Eleven when he tapped her arm.

"So…beat up those jocks today like I suggested?" he said.

"No, because they weren't in the hallway when I was in the hallways," Brittany said.

"I'm sorry? Beat up the jocks?" Ten said, frowning.

"Yesterday, I arrived her with River and she came home and told me that two American football players at her school got into a fight in the corridor and the principal had to step in and stop it while she stood with the crowd and watched it and did nothing."

"What? Why didn't you stop them?" Ten teased Brittany while Eleven giggled.

"Because they probably both weighed at least 250 pounds," Brittany said.

"You see me? You see this?" he said, pointing to his body. "This body has taken on burly men and won. And, AND, I've been smaller than this and taken on Yeti which are huge, robotic furry things that lumber around. If I can do that, you can wipe the floor with a football jock."

They laughed when Brittany threw up her hands.

"Whatever," she said, holding up her hand to Ten while he tousled her hair and giggled.


	13. Chapter 13

Chapter Thirteen

After awhile, Brittany went upstairs to study and Lori called the other children up to get their baths so they'd have time to spend with the Doctors later. River got up from the floor and straightened her clothes.

"I'm going to have a shower as well. That sounds great at the moment," she said. "You boys have fun in the meantime."

She headed to the storage room while Michelle came downstairs, holding her textbook against her body.

"Tom and Mandy are getting their baths first so Mommy says I can wait down here and do my studying until she calls me," she said to the Doctors while she walked over to them.

She lay on her stomach beside Ten and opened her textbook until she found her place and began reading. Ten glanced at her.

"Listen, I want to speak to my other self about some things, can you keep a secret?"

"Mm-hmm," Michelle said, nodding. "I won't tell anyone what you say."

"Thank you," Ten said, patting her head. "I want to ask about River," he said to Eleven while Michelle read her textbook and listened to them. "She's part Time Lord? Since when?"

"Since birth," the Doctor said. "Amy and Rory are here parents and they conceived her in the TARDIS on their wedding night and somehow she gained Time Lord DNA from that."

"Can she regenerate then?"

"She could but she used all her remaining regeneration energy to save my life when I was dying. But that right there is her third life."

"And you are married to her? She acted like we were in The Library."

"Yes, we're married."

Ten stared at the ceiling while he thought that over. Michelle glanced at him when he didn't say anything.

"Is that bad, being married to her?" she said to him.

"No. I suppose not, I haven't done it yet so I really can't say for sure," Ten said, shrugging.

"No, it's not bad, Bookworm," Eleven said to her.

"But she told me about the SingingTowers before she died," Ten said to Eleven.

"Died?" Michelle said, alarmed.

"Not now, Bookworm, in future. Well, her future, his past," Eleven said to her.

"It's complicated, love," Ten said when they saw the confused look on her face.

"That hasn't happened for me yet," Eleven said while Michelle went back to reading her textbook. "I have no idea when it does happen so no idea how long it is until she meets you."

"What Carmen said to me, it's nearing the end for me as well, isn't it?" Ten said.

Once again, Eleven saw the alarm on Michelle's face as she jerked her head up and stared at him.

"This body can't live forever, love," Eleven said, gently, while he pointed to his counterpart. "Eventually, he'll become me and this life will come to an end."

"And you won't come and see us anymore?" Michelle said sadly.

"I'll see you but I won't be me, I'll be him," Ten said, pointing to Eleven.

"Are you scared?" Michelle said.

Ten and Eleven shared a knowing look before Ten looked at Michelle.

"I didn't used to be," Ten said. "It's not as bad as you think, it's like going to sleep but after nine times, I've grown weary of it and the constant change it brings. I get used to one body and then something happens and I change and become a new person. That's why I dread it happening again. I like being me and I'm sure he likes being him but him and me aren't the same. We have different personalities and different approaches to things, even some different opinions and likes and dislikes. It's like if you were to transform into a whole new person. What I am now dies," he said, putting his hands on his chest, "and I become brand new."

"Like being born?" Michelle said.

"Yes, in many ways," Ten said. "This body dies and is reborn as him," he said, pointing to Eleven.

They watched while Michelle thought about that.

"That would be weird," she finally said.

"Well, it's a part of who I am so it's not that weird to me, just annoying after 907 years and wearying," Ten said.

"You look good for 907 years old," Michelle said.

The Doctors chuckled.

"Thank you," Ten said, patting her cheek affectionately.

"Who is Carmen?" Michelle said.

"This woman I met during one of my adventures. She's psychic and gave me this prophecy. She said to me, he will knock four times. So I'm assuming I will die when someone knocks four times."

Michelle glanced at Eleven and saw the knowing smile on his face.

"You can't tell him, can you?" she said, guessing.

"No, I can't. I really shouldn't have told him about River but her death occurred in his past so it's already happened for him and he already guessed she marries me. So all that's new for him is she's part Time Lord and that's not really Earth shattering."

"Besides, I will probably erase some of this information from my mind so I won't remember when I become him," Ten said to Michelle. "Not all of it but some of the more important info so I won't muck up my future with foreknowledge."

"But you won't forget all of it like Donna did?" Michelle said.

"Blimey, no. It would take days to wipe my mind like that," Ten said while Eleven chuckled.

"Hey, when's your birthday?"

Eleven laughed when Ten's eyes bulged.

"Love, I can't even remember after 907 years," he said to her. "I haven't a clue anymore. Birthdays weren't that important on Gallifrey. They didn't have a big celebration on the day you were born. And technically, each time I regenerate and become a new man, that could also be considered my birthday so sorry, love, I really couldn't say."

"I was just wondering," Michelle said.

"I find other excuses to have a party and celebrate," Ten said. "I don't need to do it on just my birthday."

"Can I ask you something else?" Michelle said to him.

"Sure."

"What's the scariest thing you've ever seen?"

"Dalek," Ten said without hesitation.

"He talked about those one day when we were playing a what am I game, he pretended to be a Dalek and walked around with his arms out and saying exterminate and stuff."

"I was confusing them," Eleven said when Ten gave him a questioning look. "They were being cows and lions so I was a Dalek."

"Nice to know I keep my sense of humor in the next life," Ten said to Michelle. "But Daleks are scary because all they can do is hate and they kill anyone who isn't a Dalek so you can't reason with them or beg for mercy. They don't love anything or anybody, not even themselves."

"Wow," Michelle said. "That does sound scary."

"You should have seen some before now," Ten said, confused. "When I lost Donna, I just finished saving the world from Daleks. They were all over the place and…"

He looked at Eleven when he cleared his throat loudly.

"Some events were edited out of history, like that Dalek invasion and the Cyberking. Humans no longer remember them," Eleven said. "Happy during the early days of my coming into being. And I did something else that also rewrote some of Earth's history. That's why she doesn't remember the Daleks."

Ten nodded.

"Be glad you don't remember them," he said to Michelle. "I wish I didn't remember them."

"Do that when you take out some of the memories," Michelle said.

"Uh…no, because knowing my luck, another Dalek invasion would happen and I wouldn't know what they were then and wouldn't know how to stop them. So, unfortunately, I have to leave them in my noddle," he said, tapping the side of his head.

"Shelly! It's your turn now!" Lori yelled down the stairs.

Michelle groaned.

"Ugh, I hate baths," she said, slamming her book shut. "I'd rather stay here and talk."

"We can talk tonight but you need a bath so you won't be smelly and drive us away," Ten said, pressing on her nose.

"I can't get that smelly in a day," Michelle muttered as she stood up and grabbed her book.

They watched her run up the stairs, holding her book against her. Eleven waited until she was gone before telling Ten about the visit from his future self and seeing her as an adult. Ten raised an eyebrow when he mentioned the wedding bracelet and seeing her on her wedding night.

"So, we fall in love with another human then," Ten said.

"Yes, but something's not quite right. When I saw her, she was twenty three but she hinted that it was more than fourteen years in the future."

Ten rose up on his elbow.

"Immortal? Like Jack?" he said.

"She said no," Eleven said, shaking his head. "I haven't told any of this to her, obviously."

Ten nodded.

"So she ends up like River and Rose and like them she might end up…"

"You can't think like that," Eleven said to him. "You know, I gave up on the whole Curse of the Time Lords thing because I got tired of keeping everyone at arm's length. I could have had a wonderful, intimate relationship with Rose but I didn't because I was afraid she might die. But everyone dies eventually, even us. I'd rather enjoy being with someone for however long we have than regret all the missed moments. I suppose it'll be the same with Michelle when her time comes. That's why you won't stay alone for long. It's already becoming unbearable, isn't it?"

Ten nodded.

"That's why you came here because you tried to go it alone and it was too much to bear," Eleven said. "Donna and Rose and all of our friends are right. We can't be alone, we both crave companionship. And you know what? We should. It's not good to be alone all the time. I'm willing to be with someone with an ephemeral life if it means I come away with love and happy memories. Trying to change time and make it bend to your will won't work, mate. Neither will trying to outrun the inevitable."

"So I should leave then and face my death?" Ten said bitterly.

"Yes. But not now. Stay here, rest and recoup because you need your strength for what lies ahead. And enjoy the present. Enjoy their love and affection and have fun. Rassilon knows we don't get enough of that anyway."

Ten nodded. Eleven held up his hand and put his fingers to his lips when he saw Mandy coming down the steps, holding her panda against her chest.

"I'm clean now!" she yelled as she walked towards them.

"What do you want us to do about it?" Eleven teased while Ten smiled lovingly at her.

"Pay me," Mandy said, walking up to him and holding her hand out.

"Pay you? You haven't done anything worth paying," Eleven said while his counterpart giggled.

"I want money," Mandy said, plopping down beside him.

"I want a ten foot tall ice cream but I'm not getting it," Eleven said.

Mandy grinned and squeezed his nose.

"Are you torturing me now?" he said while Ten chuckled. "Is that your way to get your money from me?"

"Mommy's fixing tacos," Mandy said.

"And?" Eleven said while Ten giggled.

Mandy squeezed his nose again and giggled at the feigned anger on Eleven's face.

"I will not tolerate this much longer and…hey!" he said when she squeezed it again. "Cheeky monkey, stop that! I can't breathe when you…" he sighed when she did it again and giggled harder. "You know, I don't believe in corporal punish…OI!" he said when she did it again.

He tugged on the panda's ear and Ten laughed when they alternated between her pinching his nose and him pulling on the panda's ear for a few minutes before Mandy tired of the game and snuggled down next to him, holding the panda tightly to her chest while she rested. Eleven smiled at his counterpart while he rubbed Mandy's arm.

"Like I was saying, companionship and love are worth the heartache," he said while Mandy sighed contentedly and closed her eyes.


	14. Chapter 14

Chapter Fourteen

Ten excused himself after a bit, telling Eleven that he needed to freshen up. But he really needed to take a break and process the information he'd heard. He shut the doors to his TARDIS and walked over to his console. He leaned against it, his hands gripping the rim while he thought over what his counterpart had told him. Not only about River but also about Michelle.

"You can see into the future, old girl, so you know about Michelle?" he finally said, looking up at the ceiling.

The TARDIS grunted in affirmation. The Doctor leaned back up and paced around the console while he thought. Michelle was very special to him but he didn't realize she would become so special that he would marry her someday. It terrified him though that she might end up lost to him like Rose and Donna. He stopped and shook his head.

"It's her birthday tomorrow so I want to give her something special," the Doctor said to his ship. "I want a way for me or my future selves to know when she's in danger so we can come help her. I want to protect her and her family, especially if they become such an integral part of my life. Can you do that for me, old girl?"

The TARDIS thought for a moment and then communicated with him silently her idea for protecting them. The Doctor listened and smiled, nodding and liking her idea. The TARDIS was suggesting something for the whole family and something specific for Michelle since she would continue to have an association with the Doctor and be entwined with his life for years to come.

"Thank you, old girl," Ten said, patting the rim. "I just don't want them to perish before their times are up. I care deeply for them and I want to be able to protect them."

The TARDIS grunted in understanding. The Doctor decided to go tell his counterpart about the idea and he patted the rim of the console once more. He started to go to the front door when he heard Michelle's voice calling to him at the same time she knocked on the door. Ten smiled and hurried to the door. He opened it and Michelle looked up at him.

"Daddy's home and your other self is talking to him now," she said. "He's telling him about you and what's going on. Mommy's almost got supper done so she wanted me to tell you that too."

"Thank you," Ten said.

Michelle stepped inside the doorway and Ten leaned up against the railing while she looked around.

"Does the TARDIS change too when you change?" she said to him. "The other Doctor's TARDIS looks different inside."

"Not always," Ten said. "Sometimes it does. I can change it or she can."

"I like both," Michelle said, putting her hand on the railing. "His looks more like science fiction stuff. This looks like a cave, kinda."

"Sorta," Ten conceded with a nod.

"Well, I was supposed to come and get you so that's why I knocked."

"Thank you. I wanted to talk to my other self once Jim is through with him…and I need to speak to you as well but you have to keep another secret when we do."

"Wow, I'm keeping lots of secrets, I feel like a spy," Michelle said.

The Doctor chuckled and patted her head before taking her hand and walking out with her.

XOXOXOXOXOXOXOX

After telling his counterpart he'd like to meet with him and Michelle later in the TARDIS, they went up to dinner with Jim and the others. What struck Ten as so astonishing was the level of acceptance this human family had for him and his other self and River and how eager they were to help solve the problem of curing Donna. They ate tacos, refried beans, Spanish rice and nachos at the dining room table and all the while the family was throwing out ideas and brainstorming about saving Donna. It touched his hearts deeply and he knew that his other self was just as affected by their willingness to help. To be honest, he welcomed the brainstorming. He wanted Donna restored in the worst way so he and his future self listened to the ideas and questions they had. But the conversation also began to turn towards finding a way to help bring back Amy and Rory and this was where Ten started listening with fascination since he didn't know the full story of how they were lost. They spent the next hour, eating and discussing the problem of finding a way to help their lost family members and it endeared them even more to Ten that they were doing this.

Not to mention the food was delicious. He had to admit, Lori was one hell of a cook. The food and the conversation and camaraderie hit the spot and he found himself contributing to their discussion along with his future self and River.

"Isn't there someplace you could take Donna?" Michelle said as she scooped a bit of refried beans onto her spoon.

"Like where?" Eleven said.

"To get her memories back safely?" Michelle said.

"Well, there are places to do that but I don't know if they could do it safely," Eleven said while Michelle ate her beans and listened. "The problem is if one memory could trigger more and then more and more until the Time Lord mind is reactivated and then that would result in overload."

"But you said that you put a failsafe in her head in case that happens," Michelle said to Ten. "Can you do that and make it so she doesn't go to sleep?"

Ten and Eleven looked at each other.

"I suppose it could be done," Ten conceded, "but we'd have to make sure it was foolproof if we set up blocks in her mind."

Eleven thought while River took a bite of rice and watched him.

"Perhaps we could control the amount of memories and give her the basics of her time with us. We'd have to still block off the remnants of the Time Lord mind though so there was no chance of the memories triggering that."

"Could you do a test run," Brittany offered.

"In what way?" Ten said.

"Try it out. I mean, go to her and see if you could limit the memories and would it work," Brittany said.

"Oh! I see!" Eleven said, grinning at his counterpart. "Steal her away when she's out shopping and just hook her up to a machine and if it doesn't work, say sorry and take it all back and dump her at Sylvia's feet with apologies."

Ten chuckled at that and at the image he was seeing in his mind's eye of them trying to pull an enraged Donna into the TARDIS and hook her up to a machine against her will.

"You do the kidnappning then, mate," Ten said to Eleven. "I don't want the beating that'll come with it."

"She'll fight you that much, eh?" Lori said.

They laughed when Ten looked at her with wide eyes.

"Are you serious? Donna will fight tooth and claw to get away from me if I take her in the TARDIS without letting her know who I am."

"Get Jack to do it," Eleven said with a shrug. "As I recall, she seemed to fancy him."

"Yes, I remember her nearly throwing Sarah into the support column to get to him," Ten said dryly.

"You know a lot of people," Michelle said to him.

"I do. Heaps of people," Ten said. "In all periods of time and both from Earth and other places."

"Well, what about this Jack and Sarah?" Lori said. "They can't help?"

Ten and Eleven looked at each other.

"Sarah, perhaps, would help. Jack might be able to also if he's not busy with Torchwood."

"Jack might not be with Torchwood at the moment," Eleven said. "He was traveling around in space, the last time I saw him."

"Wait, I disabled his manipulator," Ten said angrily.

"No, I don't think that's how he left Earth," Eleven said.

"Oh," Ten said, calming down.

"Don't you love being on the end of a conversation you know nothing about?" Lori said to her family.

"Tell me about it," River said.

"Well, now you know how it feels when you holler "Spoilers" in my face," Eleven said to her.

They laughed when River stuck her tongue out at him.

"If you need more help, invite who you need," Lori said with a shrug.

"You know, I have to say it now but you lot have been stellar," Ten said. "You just opened up your hearts and accepted us and are very tolerant and I thank you for that," he said while Eleven and River voiced their agreement.

"Well, you've helped us out too and we've had the pleasure of meeting you and knowing that there are friendly aliens out there," Lori said.

"Besides, it's interesting being around you and listening to your stories," Jim said.

"And you're fun to be around," Brittany said.

"And you bring me teddy bears," Mandy said.

They laughed at that and Eleven tousled her hair.

"Plus, we have a big house and you have your TARDISes which as far as I can tell are the size of a small city," Lori said.

"Oh, it's much larger than that but the point still stands," Ten said.

"Well, I'm saying we have the room if you need to bring in more experts. Plus, I wouldn't mind meeting more of your friends," Lori said with a shrug.

"Are they just as fun as you?" Michelle said.

"I think so," Eleven said. "Jack's like a big kid."

"So, he's like you," River said to him.

Ten thought for a moment while he ate a bit of taco. Then he excused himself for a moment and sprinted to the stairs. Everyone watched while he ran downstairs, his feet thudding on the stairs while he went down.

"Where's he going?" Mandy asked Eleven as she pointed at the stairs.

"Dunno. Must have an idea," Eleven said with a shrug.

They heard his feet thudding again five minutes later and Ten came up into the hallway and slowed down as he walked into the lounge. As he approached his seat, they saw a mobile in his hand and Eleven's eyes widened.

"Gonna call Martha," Ten said to Eleven as he sat back down, "I'm sure Jack gave her his mobile number, among other things. Sorry, all, I know it's rude to use a mobile at the table but I want to try this."

"Wow, we're learning the names of all kinds of people now," Michelle said while the Doctor found Martha's number and called it. He put the mobile to his ear and ate a bit of his rice while he waited for her to answer it.

"Martha?" Ten said, quickly swallowing when she answered. "Hey, it's me again….fine, fine, I'm fine," he said while everyone listened and Lori went to get some paper and something to write with so he could jot down the phone number. "Listen, I need to ask you something. Did you by any chance get Jack's phone number because I need to contact him. I see…"

He smiled and nodded his thanks at Lori when she hurried back and put a small pad and pen beside him. He picked up the pen while Lori sat back down.

"Yes, I have pen and paper," he said. "Whenever you're ready…"

He listened and jotted the number down while everyone ate and watched him.

"Thanks so much, Martha. Listen, are you busy at the moment?"

He quickly ate a bite of beans while he listened to her response.

"No, nothing serious," he said after swallowing, "I am in Indiana at the moment with this wonderful family who have adopted me as their own and they keep asking about people who traveled with me and I think they want to meet you. Yes, they do," he said when the children nodded emphatically. "We're eating at the moment and this little ten year old girl is having her tenth birthday tomorrow and they invited me and my friends to attend it so if you're not busy…and actually, you'll get to meet my future self since he and his wife are here as well."

He sniggered and covered the mobile with his hand.

"I specifically said "Wife" to get a reaction from her and boy, did I get one," he said and put the mobile back against his ear while everyone laughed. "How should I know?" he said to Martha. "I don't know the circumstances of my future marriage, it's best not to know but they seem happy," he said, glancing at his counterpart while everyone giggled. "But would you? At least meet them, I won't take you on another unplanned trip again. You would?" he said and grinned when the children cheered at that. "Hear that, you made the children's day," he said while Lori and Jim laughed. "So…I will be by to pick you up. Are you at Francine's? Okay, I'll be there soon. Cheers."

"Can we go with him?" Michelle said to her mother. "Can we go and meet her there?"

Lori laughed when the children begged to go.

"Up to him, I'm not the one driving his ship," she said, glancing at Ten.

"If you lot behave, I will take you," he said to them.

"We will!" they said in unison.

"Then I will take you with me," he said while the children cheered.


	15. Chapter 15

Chapter Fifteen

Martha looked out the front window of her mother's house, watching for any sign of the TARDIS. Francine stood nearby, watching her.

"So he's in need of your help?" Francine was saying to her.

"Don't know. He's staying with a family in Indiana and wants me to meet them. But he asked for Jack's number so he might need assistance as well."

"And he's married now? Who to?"

"Dunno, mum, probably Rose," Martha said, looking at her and shrugging.

She jerked her head back around when she heard the TARDIS wheezing and saw it materialize across the street. She grinned as the door opened and the Doctor stepped out wearing his suit and trenchcoat. Francine came up beside her and they watched while four children came out and fanned out around him.

"He travels with children now?" Francine said to Martha.

"No, I'm sure those children are part of the family…I hope," Martha said.

She heard the Doctor telling the children to come with him and she ran to the front door. She opened it and the Doctor laughed as he came up the path.

"Martha, it's good to see you again," he said while the children followed him and watched the scene with interest. "These are my dear little friends," he said, gesturing to them. "This is Mandy, this is Michelle and this is Tom and Brittany."

"Hi!" the children said in unison.

"Hello there," Martha said as Francine came up behind her. "I'm Martha and this is my mum."

"Hi," the children repeated, waving.

Francine waved and smiled at them before inviting them in for tea. She found some chocolate chip biscuits for the children and they let them sit at the table and eat them and drink some milk while the adults sipped tea and chatted by it. The Doctor explained what happened to Donna and what went on after he left her with Jack and Mickey. Martha was alarmed about Donna but she smiled when he described the brainstorming session they had during dinner.

"If you don't mind, I'd like to help," Martha said when he finished. "Donna and I became friends and I'd like to see her restored as well."

"Thank you. I don't know if we can but perhaps if we all get together and think, we could find a way," the Doctor said. "Other than that, this one here," he said, pointing to Michelle, "is turning ten years old tomorrow."

"Happy birthday," Martha and Francine said to her.

"Thank you," Michelle said.

"And their parents want to meet you and I know my other self would want to see you again so could you come back with me to their house?"

"I'd love to. Let me get my coat," Martha said.

XOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOX

After saying goodbye to Francine, Martha followed the Doctor and children into the TARDIS.

"So who did you marry? Rose?" she said to him when he shut the door behind all of them.

"No, a woman called River Song."

Martha frowned at that but the Doctor was already walking to the console while pulling his mobile out of his pocket. He dialed Jack's number and leaned against the console while the children gathered around him. Martha came up behind Mandy and Mandy turned and smiled at her, taking her hand while she used her other hand to hold her panda. Martha smiled warmly at her and squeezed her hand.

"Thank Heavens you answer your mobile," the Doctor said when someone answered on the other end.

He jerked the phone away when Jack screamed delightedly in his ear. Martha and the children laughed when the Doctor widened his eyes and shook his head before putting the mobile back against his ear.

"I would like to keep my hearing in this ear, Harkness, if you don't mind," the Doctor said to him. "I have a few requests for you...well, first, i wanted to know what you were doing because if you're not terribly busy, I have friends I'd like you to meet. Secondly, I need your help solving some problems. Okay...and you're in Torchwood now? Okay, so I will land the TARDIS where I was before when you jumped on my ship. And speaking of that, Martha is here as well and four little friends who are dying to meet you."

He rolled his eyes when Jack said something.

"No, Jack, these friends are four, five, nine, soon to be ten tomorrow, and fifteen so they're all a bit underage for you," he said while Martha chuckled. "They're the children of a man and woman who have adopted me and have treated me like a part of their family. They want to meet you and some of my other friends. I was thinking about going to see Sarah Jane as well but are you available? Okay, well, we're coming then. Cheers."

He ended the call and grinned when the children cheered.

"Hold on tight, my friends, we're making a jump to Cardiff," he said to them as he began to power up the TARDIS.

XOXOXOXOXOXOXO

Jack waited with barely contained patience near the spot where the TARDIS parked before. He grinned when he heard the wheezing and the TARDIS appeared. He trotted over to it and stopped short when the door opened and a tiny child clutching a stuffed panda came outside.

"Uncle Doctor says behave," she said before turning and going back inside.

"Oh ha ha, Doctor," Jack said when he heard raucous laughter coming from inside.

Mandy stepped outside again and Jack leaned over.

"Hello, are you the child I'm not allowed to touch?" he said sweetly to her.

"I'm Mandy," she said.

"Hello, Mandy, I'm Jack. Nice to meet you!"

He leaned back up when the Doctor came outside with everyone else.

"As you can see, she's a bit young for you, Jack. Unless you're into that sort of thing and if you are, you're going to be impaled on a pole and left there and by impaled, I mean up the bum. Got me?"

"Yes, Dad," Jack said, rolling his eyes while the children laughed.

"As the child said, she is Mandy. This is Michelle, Brittany and Tom. Kids, this is Jack."

Jack smiled and stepped forward to greet them. He then hugged Martha and told her hello before following everyone inside. The Doctor shut the door and filled Jack in on what was going on, including telling him a bit about his older self and the fact that his future self was now married.

"Married? Well, that's good. When did we tie the knot?" Jack said when the Doctor finished.

"Not to you!" the Doctor said while the children laughed. "To a woman called River Song."

Jack staggered back.

"What the hell happened to Rose?" he said in disbelief. "I never even heard of River Song."

Ten sighed wearily and filled them in on what happened to Rose. Jack listened in disbelief and when the Doctor finished, he gathered the children around him.

"Children, I don't know how much he has told you. But this man was nuts about a woman named Rose Tyler," he said to them. "I traveled with him in his ninth life and with Rose and the two acted like they were smushed together with Velcro. The man would literally growl at me like a dog if I got too close to them while they were smushed and he has gone and left the woman he loved more than anything with a clone and married some woman I've never heard of before in my whole entire life."

The Doctor coughed nervously when the children looked at him.

"It's complicated, children," he said to them.

"It oughta be since I can't think of anyone else supplanting Rose in your affections. Must be one hell of a woman if she got your attention away from her," Jack said.

The Doctor could tell by the inquisitive looks on the children's faces that they were about to start asking questions and he could see them trying to brainstorm how to get her back next. So he quickly diverted their attention by suggesting they go to see Sarah Jane next. Jack watched while he ran around the console before grinning at the children.

"Now he's going to pretend I never mentioned Rose so he won't have to talk about her and explain himself," he said softly as he got the children and Martha to lean in close. "I know him and that's what he's doing."

"River's nice," Tom said softly.

"I'm sure she is but he still was gaga over Rose and being married to someone other than her is a big shock for me. But I'll keep my mouth shut and meet this River for myself," he said softly before they all leaned back up.


	16. Chapter 16

Chapter Sixteen

(Meanwhile, back in Indiana…)

"Okay, this oughta tell us more," Lori said while she turned on the TV and turned it to Channel 13.

After the Doctor and the children left, the sky slowly began clouding up and getting dark and darker and now there was a thunderstorm outside. Dan had called Jim and told him there were tornado watches out for their area so Lori turned on the TV to get the weather report. She stood by the TV while the Doctor and River stood by the bay window and watched lightning flashing in the distance.

"Good thing Tom and Mandy aren't here right now, they'd be freaking out," Jim said, coming up the stairs with Rex.

"They're that scared of storms?" River said to him.

"Terrified," Jim said as Rex trotted ahead of them. "I'm glad you took care of that cougar. I wasn't fond of Spot but if a tornado comes this way…"

"There's been a sighting in a field near Greenfield," Lori said to him.

"Coming this way?" Jim said.

"Yes, but they don't think it's strong," Lori said.

"If one does come this way, we get in the room under the stairs," Jim said to the Doctor and River.

"Actually, we can use the TARDIS. A tornado wouldn't damage it and it's rooted to the spot wherever it's at. Plus, we have more than everything we need inside it to survive," the Doctor said.

"Good, because I showed you what happened with Kennard," Lori said, looking at him. "We don't need to be buried alive if another one comes. I'll be right back, I need to use the restroom," she added before heading down the hallway.

Jim followed her to the bedroom while the Doctor and River walked to the TV and listened to the weatherman describe a tornado heading southeast. While they were doing that, the Doctor heard the wheezing of the TARDIS downstairs and groaned.

"They're back," he said to River. "We may have to calm Tom and Mandy down now."

"I just hope the storm blows over before we're flattened by this tornado," River said.

"Well, to be fair, the house is made of brick so I doubt we'd be flattened but the roof could collapse," the Doctor said, glancing up at the ceiling.

"Hey!" Ten said as he came up into the hallway. "Just keep quiet for a moment and don't say a word to our guests. I wanna take the mickey out of Jack."

Eleven looked at River, shrugged and nodded. They watched while Jack, Martha and Sarah Jane came up into the hallway along with the children. Sarah Jane caught his eye and smiled her hello but Ten was sprinting towards Eleven and River.

"Jack, Martha, this is Mister and Mrs. Stevens. Lori, Jim, this is Jack and Martha and Sarah Jane," Ten said, shooting a conspiratorial look at the Doctor and River.

Sarah Jane frowned in confusion but Jack and Martha strode forward to greet them.

"Lori, Jim, nice to meet you," Jack said, shaking Eleven's hand.

"Likewise," Eleven said, hiding his amusement at Sarah Jane finally figuring out the joke when Ten winked at her.

Just then, there was a crack of thunder and Tom and Mandy screamed with fright.

"Whoa!" Ten said, going to them at the same time Jim came running out of the bedroom. "Hey, it's okay, it's alright," he said, kneeling down and gathering them into his arms while they cried.

"Doctor?" Jack said while Jim slowed and looked at his youngest children.

"Who me?" Jim said, pointing to himself while Eleven snickered. "This is the Doctor," he said, pointing to Ten.

"I know but are you the other Doctor?" Jack said.

"No, that's the other Doctor," Jim said, pointing to Eleven.

"Wait, you told me you were…damn it, Doctor," Jack said while Eleven chortled with glee. "And who is this then?" he said, pointing to River.

"This is River Song. River, Jim, this is Jack Harkness," Eleven said.

Jack looked them over. He raised an eyebrow when he saw the bow tie and tweed jacket. Then his eyes settled on River and he smiled when he saw how beautiful she was.

"Everyone, this is Martha Jones," Ten said as Lori came out of the bathroom. "Ah, Lori, this is Jack Harkness, Martha Jones and this is Sarah Jane Smith, all former companions of ours."

"Pleasure to meet you," Lori said, going to them.

There was another thunder crack and Lori winced when Tom and Mandy screamed again.

"Sorry, guys, they're scared of storms and we have a tornado watch out right now," Lori said.

"When did this start? How long was I gone?" Ten said to Eleven.

"Not soon after you left and about an hour," Eleven said.

"Hour, I thought I landed her closer to the time we left," Ten muttered. "Ah well…don't be afraid, eh? Everything's going to be alright," he said to Tom and Mandy while he held them.

"And this is Rex," Eleven said to everyone when Rex came in from the kitchen after drinking some of his water. "Sorry, Jack, couldn't resist taking the mickey when you came in."

"Well, I shoulda known it was you since you're dressed like a professor giving a lecture," Jack said.

"I was confused at first," Sarah Jane said, stepping up to hug him. "I knew it was him, I saw him once before in this body so when you said you were Jim…it's good to see you again, both of you," she said, looking at Ten who was leading Tom and Mandy over to the sofa.

They all winced and Tom and Mandy cried out when another thunder crack and a bolt of lightning struck about a mile from the house.

"Wow, Indiana is a busy place," Jack said, going over to look out the window. "Is this one of the problems you mentioned?" he said to Ten.

"No, I didn't know about this, it started after I left," Ten replied.

"If anyone is hungry through all this, there is some food left on the counter in the kitchen," Lori said.

"Are we gonna get blown away?" Brittany said, sitting down beside Ten.

"I hope not, I don't wanna die before my birthday," Michelle said, walking over to look out the window with Jack.

"Does this happen often here?" Jack said to Michelle.

"Yup, every spring and summer," Michelle said to him.

"Do you visit Oz every spring and summer then?" Jack said to her.

Michelle giggled and shook her head.

"I wish," she said while Jack patted her shoulder.

Lori offered to make tea for everyone and when everyone told her thanks, she went into the kitchen. But just then there was another loud boom and another crack of lightning and the house was plunged into darkness.

"Bang goes the making of the tea," Eleven said while Ten soothed Tom and Mandy who were crying again.

Eleven held out his sonic for a bit of light but turned it off when Lori came out of the kitchen with a flashlight in hand.

"Had it ready," Lori said, reaching into her pocket for a box of matches. "Tom, Mandy, it's okay, we're alright. Stop crying, okay?" she said, putting the flashlight down on the dining room table and using the matches to light the candles in the center of it.

"Hey!" Ten said to Mandy and Tom, "Wanna hear about the time a group of angry aliens tied me and Rose up and left us to the mercy of a huge tornado when we visited their planet?"

Tom and Mandy quieted their crying and nodded as they sniffed.

"Well…" Ten said while Lori and Jim used the candles to find the portable radio and more candles. "Rose and I, we were visiting this lovely little planet…"

By now, Michelle had moved over and sat down beside Brittany while they listened with their siblings to Ten's story. Jack glanced at them and kept an eye on the sky while Ten talked.

"Well, this tribe of aliens worshipped the weather as gods and there were storms plaguing their planet and wiping out their crops and killing them so when we visited, they captured me and Rose and tried to sacrifice us to a tornado," Ten said.

He glanced at Tom and Mandy when there was another thunderclap but they were so interested in Ten's tale, they didn't even hear it. He smiled when Lori noticed and mouthed her thanks to him and nodded.

"So, how did you escape?" Brittany said while Jack turned his head to listen and Sarah Jane and Martha sat down in the chairs.

"I had an ally among them," Ten said while River walked over to listen. "One of them did not believe in the gods and knew we were being murdered so he tampered with the ropes so Rose and I could get free. We managed to get to safety before the tornado got us."

Mandy watched him with wide eyes while she held her panda close to her and the Doctor rubbed her back.

"So, did the other aliens die?" Michelle asked.

"No, they were long gone because even they were smart enough not to get sucked up into the tornado. Rose and I managed to make it back to the TARDIS and they probably thought the sacrifice worked when they finally came back. And that is how I and my companion survived being sacrificed to a…"

There was another crack of thunder and Ten smiled tenderly at Mandy when she pressed against his chest and buried her face there.

"There, there, poppet," he said, hugging her and Tom. "You're safe, eh? We have the TARDIS to protect us if it gets too bad."

"I don't like this," Mandy said into his chest.

"I can see that," Ten said before kissing her head. "But, we're here, heaps of us and you're not going to die, okay?"

Lori and Jim found the radio and more candles. Jim put the radio on top of the TV, turned it on and tuned it to a station broadcasting the weather. Ten continued to talk and tell stories, soothing the children while they lit the candles and put them around the room. Once that was done, Sarah Jane and Martha moved to the floor and chatted softly with Eleven and River while Jack stood at the window and listened to the weather report and Lori and Jim sat down and rested.


	17. Chapter 17

Chapter Seventeen

The storm wasn't letting up and getting worse so Ten finally suggested everyone go into his TARDIS to wait it out so they could have electricity and warmth and food and drink. Lori took a candle and Jim started to pick up the radio but Ten told him that the TARDIS could tell him when the storm was passed. Jim turned it off and they blew out all the candles except the one in Lori's hand and everyone followed her down to the storage room. They went inside Ten's TARDIS and the Doctor asked his ship to make up a playroom for the children and a bedroom for each child and Jim and Lori plus a room for Rex as the dog came into the TARDIS. He shut the doors and the storm was shut out as well as everyone followed him to the lounge. The TARDIS made a playroom for the children and a room for Rex and put them next to the lounge so the children could be near everyone. The playroom had shelves filled with games and toys and was big enough for a slide and swingset and a huge playhouse. The children were delighted with it and rushed inside while Eleven showed Rex a room filled with chew toys, dog toys and a huge dog bed. Rex barked his thanks to the Time Lord and trotted inside, settling down to gnaw at one of the chew toys. The TARDIS also provided the three youngest children with their own child-sized recliners and two mats with duvets covering them. And she provided enough chairs for everyone and a small table filled with snacks, pop, milk and tea.

Brittany and Michelle enjoyed the playroom, exploring it while Tom and Mandy giggled and swung on the swings. But Brittany and Michelle soon drifted out into the living room, more interested in their new friends and the adult conversation. Ten pointed out the little recliners and the mats with the duvets on them by the TV. Michelle was delighted with all of it and thanked the Doctor for everyone before she walked over to the table. She took a few biscuits and poured a small cup of Coke before walking back to the recliner nearest the sofa. She sat down while Brittany got some Coke and a small sack of crisps and walked over to a larger recliner beside the one Sarah Jane was sitting in. The adults were making small talk, getting to know one another and telling each other about their lives. While they were doing that, Ten was checking on the younger children, grinning at their laughter and loving the fact that they were no longer afraid. He was walking back towards the adults when he suddenly stopped and closed his eyes as if deep in thought. He grinned and opened his eyes just as a flash of light appeared at his feet. When the flash disappeared, there was a folded blue blanket there. He picked it up, unfolded it and Michelle's eyes widened when she saw a photo of the Backstreet Boys in the center of the dark blue blanket. Ten looked at her and grinned as he carried it over to her.

"I believe this is for you, Shelly," he said to her. "The TARDIS released it was your birthday tomorrow so this is a gift from her."

"How do I say thank you to her?" Michelle said while the Doctor covered her lap with it.

"Just say it aloud, she can hear you," Ten said.

"Thank you, TARDIS," Michelle said while the adults chuckled.

She heard a short rumbling.

"That was her, she said you're very welcome," Ten said.

"How did she know I liked Backstreet Boys?" Michelle said, rubbing her hand over the soft blanket.

"Ah, well, she can read minds," Ten said. "She can see your thoughts and memories and she designed your room to reflect what you like. She does that for everyone. So your bedroom will probably be all books and Backstreet."

"What room? I'm surprised the TARDIS didn't just put a bed in the library," Eleven said.

Michelle giggled and Ten tousled her hair before sitting back down. She finished eating her biscuits and finished half of her Coke, setting the cup on the floor by her recliner between sips, before her eyelids suddenly grew heavy. By now everyone except Brittany were growing sleep and Ten decided to take them to their rooms. Lori and Jim kissed them all goodnight and Michelle wrapped her blanket around her body. Everyone wished them goodnight before the three children followed Ten out of the room. They turned right, walked a short way to the end of the corridor and Ten pointed out their bedrooms. Two on the right and one on the left. The TARDIS guided him, telepathically telling him which room was which and he directed them to their proper rooms. As predicted, Michelle's room was decorated with posters of the Backstreet Boys along with a poster of Hello Kitty and one of Dora the Explorer. The bed was big with a white wooden headboard and a pink blanket. There were two big bookcases filled with books and a few dolls and toys on a smaller bookcase by the door. There was a chest of drawers and a small walk-in closet with more clothes. There was a wooden nightstand by her bed with a Dora lamp on it and a couple of books. On the bed was a pink Hello Kitty nightgown and the Doctor pointed out a door at the back of the room. He opened it and showed her the adjoining bathroom, decorated in pink with a Hello Kitty motif. Michelle hugged him and Ten chuckled and kissed her cheek.

"Get some sleep and the TARDIS will wake you in time to get ready for school tomorrow," he said. "In fact…TARDIS, activate voice interface."

He pointed over her shoulder and she turned to see a beautiful young woman with long, dark hair who was wearing a long gown the color of the TARDIS exterior.

"This is the interface, this is how the TARDIS communicates with my friends and family," Ten said. "She will wake you up and assist you in the morning and if you get frightened, call to her and she will come."

"Thank you," Michelle said. "This is so awesome!"

"Yes, it is. My ship is the most magnificent thing in the universe," Ten said. "And…there is something else I have for you but it can wait till tomorrow night. For now, get some sleep and I'll check on your brother and sister. If you need them, you saw where their rooms are and Brit and your parents will be in this corridor as well. Okay?"

Michelle nodded and the Doctor kissed her goodnight. He smiled tenderly at her and wished her goodnight and told her he'd see her when she was ten years old as he walked out the door.

Michelle took her nightgown and went to the bathroom. She undressed herself, put her nightgown on, used the toilet and washed her hands. She walked over to her bed with her Backstreet Boys blanket and put that on top of the pink blanket. She pulled both back, climbed into bed and lay back as she pulled the covers up. The TARDIS dimmed all the lights, leaving her a little to see by but not enough to keep her awake. Michelle lay there for awhile, enjoying the feel of her new bedroom and loving the fact that she was sleeping on an alien spaceship. Then her eyelids grew heavy and she finally surrendered to sleep.

XOXOXOXOXOXOXOXO

"Michelle?"

Michelle frowned when she heard a beautiful female voice calling to her. She opened her eyes and saw the interface standing by the bed, smiling warmly at her.

"Good morning, Michelle, it is time to wake up and prepare for school," the interface said. "Happy birthday."

"Thank you, TARDIS," Michelle said.

She lay for a moment in the bed, savoring the moment, before she reluctantly got up and prepared for the day. She could hear her siblings and heard her mother helping them. She called to her mother and she came into the room.

"Happy birthday, darling," she said, hugging her daughter.

"Thank you, Mommy."

"Daddy left for work but he didn't wake you when he kissed your cheek. You were sleeping so soundly and he decided to wish you happy birthday when he came home. This interface thing is in every room," she said, pointing to it. "It woke your father too, which made him laugh. So I'm going to go help Mandy and the interface will help you if you need it and I'll come back and check on you, okay?"

Michelle nodded and hugged her mother. Lori tousled her hair before she left the room.

XOXOXOXOXOXOXOXO

After getting dressed and freshening up, the interface led everyone to the kitchen where the Doctors and the rest of the inhabitants were waiting. They yelled "HAPPY BIRTHDAY!" when she came in and cheered while Michelle giggled and blushed. Ten showed her where she could sit and eat an English breakfast and took great delight in pointing out the little birthday cupcake by her plate. Michelle, her siblings and mother took their places and everyone ate breakfast and chatted. Michelle devoured her food, loving the taste of it and the fact that once again she was eating breakfast on an alien ship. After they were finished, the TARDIS took their plates and cups and silverware away and everyone made their way to the front.

"Jim didn't come back so I'm assuming the house is still there," Lori said to the others while they walked into the console room.

Ten opened the door and they stepped out into the storage room and looked around. The house was dark and quiet and didn't appear to be damaged. Eleven picked Mandy up and urged Rex out before closing the door. They went out and headed upstairs where Mandy, Tom and Brittany collected their school things and wished everyone goodbye. There was a misty drizzle so Lori gave them their umbrellas and told them to be careful before letting them go outside. She then headed into the living room with everyone else and turned on the morning news, keeping an eye on the children while they waited at the end of the driveway for the bus. Eleven offered to make some tea for everyone and Lori showed him where the kettle was and the tea up in the cabinet. While she was doing that, she heard the anchorman talking about storm damage in Indianapolis and Greenfield and several tornado touchdowns around the area.

"You were lucky," Eleven said after listening to it.

"Yeah, we have been for a long time but I'm sure eventually the big one will hit again," Lori said while she filled the kettle with water.

"But soon you'll be rich and you can leave if you want," Eleven said, pulling out a couple of tea bags. "You can go anywhere and do anything if you have millions."

"I'd love that. You saw what it's like around here. I don't want the children growing up and being stuck like I was," Lori said, taking the kettle to the stove and turning the burner on. I don't know what Jim wants to do but I'm sure if given the chance, he might want to leave too. After all, if we're multimillionaires, we won't be hurting for money. You've given us so much, Doctor. How can I ever repay you?"

"Just live a stellar life, you and your family, that's all the repayment I need."

Mandy came into the room.

"Except for her. Leave her out in the woods and let her turn into a bear," Eleven said, pointing to her.

Lori giggled when Mandy stopped and stared at him.

"You hush," Mandy said to him.

"No, you hush, little bear! Don't growl at me!" Eleven said.

Lori laughed when Mandy let out a little growl and Eleven feigned fear as he backed up against the counter. Mandy giggled and walked over to him and squealed when Eleven picked her up and rested her on the crook of his arm.


	18. Chapter 18

Chapter Eighteen

After an hour, the rain stopped and when the sun came out, Jack went outside to walk around the property and take in his surroundings. Eleven came outside and walked up to him while he was staring at the barren field to the right of the house. He glanced over his shoulder when the Doctor came up to him.

"We really are out in the middle of nowhere," he said to him as Eleven came to his side and stopped.

"Yes, we are and the surrounding area is a bit dismal, to say the least," Eleven said.

"That's why you gave them the lottery ticket? So they could get out of here?"

"If they want. This house has been in their family a long time and it was built for them and the children have a lot of freedom but they deserve far more than this," he said, gesturing to the barren field across the road from the house. "I want to give them that opportunity."

"I haven't known them long but I like them, they're a nice family," Jack said.

"Yes, they've been good to us so I want to return the love they've shown all of us," Eleven said. "They did this for us even after they found out about me being an alien and us being time travelers. They've tolerant, loving people and the children are fun to be with."

Jack nodded and smiled.

"So what happened?" he asked Eleven. "I saw the other you in that bar and you looked a bit down. I guess you knew the end was coming?"

Eleven nodded.

"I got a burst of deadly radiation. It killed me but I had time to say goodbye to everyone. And you? Did you and Alonso…"

"It was a fling, nothing more," Jack said, shaking his head. "He's a nice guy but I was still mourning Ianto and I couldn't be there for him completely. We're friends though so thanks for introducing us all the same."

They looked over their shoulder when the door opened and Ten, Martha, Sarah Jane and River came outside with Rex. Rex saw Eleven and he chuckled when he leapt off the side of the porch and zoomed towards him.

"And you've become friendly with the dog," Jack teased his friend.

"Yeah, he's a friendly bloke and very protective of all of us," Eleven said while Rex slowed and walked up to him.

Rex wagged his tail while Eleven and Jack petted him. While they were doing that, Eleven heard the door open and Mandy came outside wearing a pink jacket. She walked down to Ten, Sarah Jane, River and Martha who were standing by the truck while Ten pointed out some things to them at the back of the property. He stopped talking and Eleven listened to Mandy while she told him that Ruth, Dan, Alicia and Great Uncle Tom were coming over.

"Oh good," Eleven said to Jack, "more of the family are coming. They're also very nice people."

"Look at you, a ready made family of your very own now," Jack teased.

"I always had a ready made family, they were the people I traveled with."

"Oh, so I'm family then? I guess I was right in calling you Dad then," Jack said.

"Hey!" Mandy said, trotting towards them while Ten and his friends watched her. "Hey!"

"Hay? I don't see a farm around here!" Eleven said to her.

"Huh?" Mandy said, stopping behind him.

"Never mind!" Eleven said while Jack laughed. "What is it?"

"Mommy called Aunt Ruth and Uncle Dan and Great Aunt Alicia and Great Uncle Tom and they're coming to see us," Mandy said. "They're bringing presents for Sissy's birthday and coming to talk to everyone."

"Brilliant. Does that mean we have to lock you in the cupboard so you won't misbehave?" Eleven said.

Jack giggled at the blank look on Mandy's face.

"She's a child, Doc. I don't think she understands all those long, complicated words that just flew out of your mouth," he said, patting Mandy on the head.

"Ah well, she has the gist of it," he said, picking Mandy up and holding her close. "Are you excited about having fun tonight?" he said to her.

"Yes. I want you to come on my birthday too."

"When is your birthday?"

Jack giggled when Mandy gave him another blank look.

"Sooo, ask the parent, I see," Eleven said while Jack sniggered.

XOXOXOXOXOXOX

When it started raining again, they went back inside and Eleven asked Lori about the other birthdays after putting Mandy down. Lori chuckled.

"Mine is November 14 and so is Brit, actually. I had quite a birthday present fifteen years ago and Tom is one week before us, November 7th. Mandy is October 30th and Jim is a new year's baby, actually. January 1st. So you won't have to worry about any more birthdays until the end of October," she said.

"So the others are coming to celebrate as well?" Eleven said, leaning on the kitchen counter.

"Yes, I called them to make sure they were alright. Alicia and Tom actually had a couple of trees fall on their property but it was back by the gravel pit, thank God. Dan and Ruth didn't have any damage so everyone made it through unscathed. But I told them what happened and about everyone coming and they want to meet the new guests and they're going to drive some of them when we go to Chuck-E-Cheese tonight so we won't have to worry about renting another minivan."

"Are you going to give them the same tour then?" Eleven teased.

"Hey, if they want it, I'll be happy to oblige," Lori teased back. "And my opening line to them would be, you may have battled creatures of darkness but you haven't seen horror like this before."

Eleven laughed.

"I have to ask though, how long has Sarah Jane been traveling with you?"

"Um…she traveled with me full time during my third and fourth lives and now I see her on occasion. She has a son called Luke and he and his friends help her out while she defends Earth. Luke was staying at his friend's house and that's why he isn't here but Sarah wants to bring him back sometime since Brit is around their age."

"I like your friends. You pick very good traveling companions," Lori said.

"Well, they have to be friendly as a rule. I don't want them mouthing off to aliens and causing me more problems than I have already."

"That's true," Lori said.

"Speaking of problems," Eleven said when Mandy walked into the kitchen. "There's Little Bear again!"

"Grrrrr," Mandy said to him and she and Lori laughed when he backed against the counter again.

Mandy walked over to the counter by the sink grabbed a plastic glass and stood on a small stool to get herself a drink of water.

"Observe," Eleven said to Lori, "the bear in its natural habitat pauses for a drink of water."

Lori laughed while Eleven gave her a cheesy grin. Suddenly, Ten stomped into the room, fake rage on his face while Mandy paused in her drinking to watch him walk up to her.

"I was talking and you left me! That is not acceptable!" he said sternly, putting his hands on his hips. "No one leaves when I'm talking, no matter how thirsty they are! How dare you ignore me!"

"RRRRRR!" Mandy growled loudly at him and Lori laughed when Ten let out a girly scream and ran back into the living room.

"You guys are crazy but I love it," Lori said while everyone in the living room laughed at Ten.

XOXOXOXOXOXOXO

When Uncle Dan, Aunt Ruth, Great Uncle Tom and Great Aunt Alicia arrived, Lori set out some light refreshments and she and the Doctors brought up more chairs so everyone could sit. Lori lay down a little blanket for Mandy by the TV and she sat and played with her toys while the adults got to know one another. Dan, Ruth, Tom and Alicia had brought some gifts for Michelle along with four large pizzas for lunch and Lori put the gifts in the kitchen and the Doctors hid the pizzas from Mandy since it was not lunchtime yet.

"Wow, our new family just keeps getting bigger by the moment," Tom said. "It's nice to meet some other people who have traveled with you," he said to the Doctors. "I hate that Donna and Amy and Rory are no longer with us but I hope you can find a solution."

"We're trying our best," Eleven said.

"Amy and Rory are here, Mommy," Mandy said, looking up.

The room fell silent.

"They are? Where?" Lori said to her while the adults looked at each other.

Mandy pointed to empty space off to her right.

"Right here," she said. "They're here too for Sissy's birthday."

"What's this?" Alicia said.

"I think Mandy can see Amy and Rory's spirits. Young children and animals are supposed to see ghosts and spirits better than adults can and both her and Rex have seen something."

"Well, if they're dead now," Tom said. "I'm sure they're watching from Heaven and celebrating with us."

"Not to mention this is how loyal the Doctor's friends are, they keep following him even after death," Jack said.

Eleven glanced at Mandy giggling at thin air and smiled, imagining his in-laws pulling faces and amusing her. Then suddenly she fell silent and listened intently and Eleven wondered what she was hearing. His hearts ached, wishing he could hear them too.

"Ooo," Mandy suddenly said before getting up and running to the Doctor.

"Hey, Amy and Rory said you could see them if you want to," Mandy said, tugging on his arm.

"Huh? How?" Eleven said while the room fell silent again.

Mandy frowned and turned back to the air.

"What you say, Rory, I forget," Mandy said.

Eleven glanced at Ten while Mandy listened for a moment before turning back around to the Doctor.

"He say that you have a…Cor-li-o-us Cry-stal in your TARDIS that could make it so you could see and hear them. You have to…"

She listened again for a moment while the Doctors' eyes widened in mutual understanding.

"You have to take it out and bring it up and it will show you stuff that's hidden," Mandy said to Eleven.

"Oh, I'm an idiot sometimes," Eleven said, slapping his forehead.

"You have this crystal?" Sarah Jane said.

"I do. Wait a tic everyone, be right back!" Eleven said, getting up and heading for the stairs.


	19. Chapter 19

Chapter Nineteen

Twenty minutes later, Eleven returned to the lounge carrying a tiny black box. Embedded in the center of the box was a large crystal. Eleven sat it on the coffee table.

"TARDIS made this for the crystal," he explained as he knelt down by the table.

"And that will allow us to see Amy and Rory?" Ruth said.

"Yes, the crystal allows hidden objects to be seen in a one hundred foot square area," he said to them. "I didn't know it worked on the spirit world but Amy and Rory couldn't possibly know about this unless they were given inside information but anyway, here goes…"

He pressed a button on the side of the box and a blue light filled the inside of the crystal.

"Look," River said when Amy and Rory suddenly appeared by Mandy's blanket. They were standing three feet in the air, smiling warmly at everyone while Rory had his arm around his wife's back. They waved to everyone.

"The TARDIS told us about the crystal," Amy said to them. "We've been listening to you trying to find a way to bring us back but there's no need to when you have this. I mean, we're with you always."

"Yeah and quite frankly after living a full life, I have no desire to leave this place," Rory said, gesturing around him.

"We will tell you this though, Heaven is all around you, all the time, just on a different vibration level so you can't see it," Amy said. "And it's three feet above the Earth plane and that's why we look like we're floating. We're not; we're standing on the ground in our dimension. But yeah, it's gorgeous here and peaceful and pleasant. I'd rather stay here and just watch over all of you from here. Now about Donna…have you considered your chameleon arch, Doctor?"

Ten and Eleven jerked their heads towards each other while Martha's mouth dropped open.

"Chameleon arch?" Sarah Jane said. "What's that?"

"It rewrites a Time Lords biology, makes them human," Martha said.

"Makes them whatever they want to be," Eleven said. "But it only works on Time Lords or those with Time Lord DNA in their bodies which means it could work on River or…Donna."

"You mean, turn Donna back to a human?" Jack said.

"Full human, yes, or a full Time Lord, it could go either way. But given her situation, we might have to turn her into a Time Lady to save her."

"What about River?" Lori said. "You could do the same for her, right?"

"Nah, I don't wanna give up my humanity, I'm happy the way I am," River said.

"I suppose we could go talk to Sylvia about this," Ten said. "Wilf would be all for it, obviously, but Sylvia…"

"Are those Donna's relatives?" Lori said.

"Mum and granddad," Eleven said. "Granddad was very supportive of Donna traveling with me but her mum…"

"Was a pain in the bum," Ten said. "Yeah, she needs to be convinced, even though Donna is in her thirties and it should be her decision."

"Except…" Eleven said. "Donna was a self-absorbed woman before she traveled with me and I'm sure at the moment she'd rather watch telly than go with me."

"Oh, I don't know, Wilf might convince her to go," Ten said.

"Yeah, but we have to do it safely so she doesn't overload before we mend her," Eleven said.

"You know, talking to yourself is a sign of insanity," Lori said.

Everyone burst into laughter when the Doctors stared at one another for a moment and then joined in the laughter.

"See, this is where Bookworm gets the cheekiness from," Eleven said, pointing to Lori.

XOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXO

For a few hours, they chatted with each other and that included Amy and Rory. Eleven was thrilled to see them again, although he found it odd that they were sitting three feet off the ground on thin air. But the crystal had allowed them to appear solid and they appeared happy. Indeed, they told Mandy they didn't want to come back to the Earth plane when she asked them. He was glad that they were somewhere safe and happy and could still look in on everyone and be a part of their lives.

At lunch, they ate pizza and Mandy drank milk while everyone else sipped tea. And around two thirty, the first bus pulled up and Tom and Michelle came home. Tom ran willy-nilly to the door but Michelle carefully walked to the house while cupping something in her hands. Lori went to the door and greeted her son with a hug and a kiss.

"I have a surprise for you but we need to wait for your sister," Lori said to him.

"I'm coming," they heard Mandy say in the distance while she walked towards the porch.

Two minutes later, she finally came in the door.

"Sorry, Mommy. Mrs. Shields gave me a birthday cupcake like the TARDIS did so I was saving it to show everyone. Is Uncle Dan and Aunt Ruth and Great Uncle Tom and Great Aunt Alicia here?"

"Yes!" the four adults said in unison.

"That was the surprise?" Tom said.

"No, come this way," Lori said, leading them into the living room.

She paused by Amy and Rory and both Tom and Michelle froze and stared at them while they waved. Michelle looked at the three feet of air under their butts and looked at her mother.

"Is this a movie the Doctor made?" she said.

"No, this is really Amy and Rory. They're in Heaven and this crystal thing made them visible to us. Now everyone can see them, not just Mandy."

"You came back?" Michelle said to Amy and Rory.

"Came back? We never left ya, love," Amy said. "We've been here, watching you. But you couldn't see us until now. And we can go where you go, we just have to think about it and we're there, it's very handy. But, now that you can see and hear us, happy birthday."

"Happy birthday, Bookworm," Rory said fondly.

"Are you coming with us tonight?" Tom said.

Amy and Rory looked at each other.

"Well, yes…but I told the Doctor not to turn this thing on in the restaurant because we don't want people seeing us and freaking out. But we will be with you," Amy said." We want to celebrate with you along with everyone else."

Eleven grinned at his counterpart before getting up and sauntering over to Amy and Rory.

"Now!" he said while Amy and Rory looked at him. "You are finally visible again which means…I can order you about again."

"P'eh, guess again, Raggedy Man," Amy said while Rory chuckled. "We're on an eternal holiday here and we're not under your authority any longer."

"You are always under my authority from the moment you sign the contract of submission in your own blood," Eleven said.

"What?" Amy said to Rory while the Doctor sniggered. "I'm sorry, dearest, we didn't sign any contract and we certainly didn't sign it with our blood. You are soft in the head, as usual."

"Now," Eleven said, pretending to ignore her, "first, I want the TARDIS cleaned from top to bottom and made spic and span. Second, you will give me a bath and a massage and delouse me. Third…"

"Whoa! Delouse you?" Amy said while everyone laughed. "No, I am not picking things off your body, Doctor."

"You have to, you signed the contract in your own blood," Eleven said.

"I'm so glad we're over here and not over there anymore," Amy said to Rory.

"I second that," Rory said.

"I'll do it," Mandy said, tugging on the Doctor's trouser leg.

"There! Mandy will delouse ya!" Amy said, pointing to her.

Eleven grinned and picked her up.

"So…you wanna sign a contract in your own blood then?" he said to her.

"Yes," Mandy said.

"Do you understand what I just said?" Eleven said.

"No," Mandy said while everyone laughed.

"So much the better. I can get my way and you'll be none the wiser," Eleven said, pinching her nose.

"Quit," Mandy said.

Eleven pinched her nose again and Mandy pinched his nose in return. Amy and Rory looked at each other when the two of them began pinching one another's noses.

"Perhaps we should come back to the Earth plane long enough to save the children from him," Rory said, pointing to the Doctor while he and Mandy continued their pinch nose fight.


	20. Chapter 20

Chapter Twenty

By the time Brittany came home, Lori was waiting for her at the open door, a huge grin on her face.

"Ugh, I had a killer math test today, Mom," Brittany said while she came in the door. "And a history quiz and four chapters to read for social studies. I'm glad we're going out to eat tonight. I see Uncle Dan, Aunt Ruth, Great Uncle Tom and Aunt Alicia are here. They're going with us?"

"Yes, they're going to take some people in their cars so we don't have to worry about a minivan this time. I have to show you something so follow me."

Brittany followed her into the living room and froze when Amy and Rory smiled and waved at her.

"Is that a movie?" she said to them.

"No, it's real. This crystal thing the Doctor had can show hidden things and that's Amy and Rory in Heaven. You can talk to them and they can talk to you."

"Why do you guys look the same?" Brittany said, walking up to Amy and Rory. "When we saw your tombstone, it said you died in your '80's."

"Because over here, everyone is about 30 years old," Amy said. "But we can alter our appearance and look any age. We look this way because this is how you remember us."

"Where's Heaven then?" Brittany said. "I just see you guys."

"That's because the crystal isn't at full strength," Eleven said. "It's on the lowest setting so only Amy and Rory are visible at the moment."

"Are you in Heaven though?" Brittany said.

"Yeah, it's all around you on a different plane of existence. We're sitting on the ground and there's a huge oak tree behind us and there's a river over there," she said, pointing ahead. "It's very peaceful. So you have quizzes galore?" she added.

"Yeah," Brittany said, shrugging her backpack off onto the floor, "and homework. School sucks sometimes."

"You don't have much longer to go," Dan said.

"I know but I wish it were over now," Brittany said, making a face.

"I hated school," Amy said. "The only high points were Rory and Mels."

"Mels? Was she your best friend or something?" Brittany said, sitting down on a chair.

She looked at River and Eleven when they giggled and frowned.

"Hi!" River said, waving, "I'm Mels."

Eleven, Amy and Rory laughed at Brittany's confusion.

"Your name is River," Michelle said, coming over to Eleven's side.

"Yes, it is now but I was originally called Melody Pond," River said.

Eleven noticed everyone's confusion when she said that.

"So…you went to school with your parents?" Brittany said.

"Yes, because I regenerated before this life and ended up a toddler and was adopted by a family who found me, took me in and brought me up in Leadworth. I grew up with my parents until I regenerated into this body."

"Did you know who she was?" Brittany said to Amy and Rory.

They shook their heads.

"I did name my daughter after her though," Amy said. "Thinking I was honoring my best friend."

"When she was really naming her daughter after her daughter," Eleven said.

"Have you guys ever considered becoming your own soap opera?" Lori said. "Because you could certainly do one with all the odd plot twists in your lives," she said while everyone laughed.

"Did you know Amy and Rory were your Mommy and Daddy then?" Michelle said to River.

"I did but I never told them that," River said. "It's very complicated."

"I'll say," Lori said, shaking her head.

XOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXO

After Jim came home, they repeated the same things for his benefit. Jim was astonished at the appearance of Amy and Rory but after everything that had happened in the past few months, he took it all in stride and told Amy and Rory he was glad to see and hear them again before telling the children to get ready to go out to eat. The children rushed to their rooms to get ready. Meanwhile, Ten asked to speak to his counterpart privately. They excused themselves and went downstairs for a moment.

"Yes?" Eleven said when they were inside the storage room.

"I know how important Michelle will be to us and I want to be able to come to her and her family's aid whenever they need us," Ten said, leaning against his TARDIS door. "I wanted to give her a little alarm system that would connect to our TARDISes."

"That's a good idea but…"

"But?" Ten said.

Eleven sighed and leaned against the storage room door.

"Look, you don't have that much longer," he said.

"I have all the time in the world," Ten said defiantly.

"No, you don't. Time is not yours to control," Eleven said. "You can't run forever. Eventually, you have to stop and face what's coming."

"So you can be born," Ten said bitterly.

"Yes, so I can be born," Eleven said angrily. "I felt the same way when I was you but…"

"Yeah?" Ten said.

"But eventually the TARDIS will take you where you need to be and you'll willingly face what's coming once you hear the threat to the Earth," Eleven said.

Ten sighed, his shoulders slumping. Eleven's hearts went out to him since he was in the same situation once.

"Go and talk to Sarah again, have her tell you again that everything has its time," he said gently to Ten while Ten looked at the floor. "I know you're weary of regeneration but think of it this way, you'll continue on as me and you'll see Michelle again in this body."

"And I land up with River then," Ten said, looking at him.

"Yes, you do."

"No regrets about Rose?" Ten said, raising his eyebrow.

"I always have regrets," Eleven said mildly. "Why? Is she the next problem we'll be sorting out?"

Ten said nothing, only shrugged.

"They're sorting out Donna, aren't they?" he said.

"Yes and if they do, Donna goes with me."

"I'm sorry?"

"You heard me," Eleven said.

"She's my companion," Ten growled at him while he pointed to himself.

"And she's mine as well," Eleven growled back.

"And what? I can't have her back because I'm about ready to snuff it so I can't change future events? What if her being with you changes something in your future?"

Eleven sighed and looked skyward while Ten stared at him intently.

"Well? We're mucking with history, yeah?" Ten said. "You already changed your past when you found me and let me know about this family's existence. This wasn't in your past before, was it? So why would Donna coming back with me make a difference now? Especially since you would land up with her anyway. And possibly, Amy and Rory would be spared their fate since I know about them and what's going to happen."

"But if that's true, why are they still in "Heaven"?" Eleven said. "If you resolved to save them, why aren't they here in the flesh? Apparently, you don't do that. Or…you don't have time enough to do it."

"But I could do it after I regenerated," Ten said.

"And once again, why aren't Amy and Rory alive and here?" Eleven said. "Why isn't Donna here with us now or Rose? If you have foreknowledge of this, wouldn't the future change around us and the people we love would be here celebrating with us?"

Ten sighed and slumped his shoulders again.

"This is why the laws of time said we should never be with ourselves at any given point," he said to Eleven.

"Yes, because it complicates things," Eleven said. "And I'm sorry, I'm sorry that I accidentally bumped into you and didn't leave right away and I'm sorry that I allowed you to come back with me to get revenge on the gits at Thanksgiving. I never should have done that but I did and now here we are, arguing on Michelle's birthday."

Ten nodded.

"You're right," he said softly. "I am being a coward which is why I came here in the first place. I don't want to face the end."

"Yes, but I'm living proof that it isn't the end, only a continuation. And to be frank, this life isn't that bad. It could have been a lot worse."

"Do you want Donna back?" Ten said.

"I wouldn't mind. I can't use Amy and Rory any longer and River doesn't want to travel with me full time."

"Why not? She's your wife, isn't she?"

"Yes, but she was warped early on in life by people out to destroy me and she's a bit psychopathic. As she put it, there's no room in the TARDIS for two psychopaths."

Ten studied him for a moment.

"So you're going to let her walk to her death unknowingly," he said.

"I have no choice."

"There's always a choice," Ten said.

"No, not always," Eleven said, shaking his head. "I tried to outrun my fate and events led me back to where I needed to be. The universe has a plan of its own, despite what we may think sometimes. Adelaide needed to die, mate, and River needs to land up in CAL. I hate that but…it has to happen."

"And Michelle, one day she may end up dead or missing, are you prepared to deal with that?" the Doctor said.

"Doctor, I would love the idea of putting a tracking device on all of them and keeping tabs on them every minute, but knowing the universe, the trackers would short out the moment we left and something would happen to them without our knowledge. The TARDIS knows where to take us when we're needed. We just have to trust that our family up there will be fine between visits. And if Michelle must meet with a sad end…at least I have my memories of her and the fun we had together."

Ten nodded.

"Is that all you needed to tell me then?" Eleven said. "Because the children are probably ready and I'm sure they won't wait for us."

"Yeah, that's all I wanted to say," Ten said.

"Just go with the flow and enjoy the present. Have fun and stop worrying for tonight about the prophecy and how close your "death" is. Michelle is ten, let's enjoy that along with her."

Ten smiled. Eleven walked over to him, patted his shoulder and followed him when he opened the door and walked out.


	21. Chapter 21

Chapter Twenty One

The moment Eleven opened the door, he froze when he heard soft crying from the direction of the sofa. He and Ten glanced at each other and headed out of the unfinished room. They walked over to the sofa by the fireplace and looked behind it. Eleven's hearts lurched when he saw Michelle cuddled up in a fetal position, fully dressed and sobbing with tears running down her face.

"Shelly?" Eleven said while Ten knelt down beside him.

"I came down to get you cause Mommy said it was time to go and I went to the door and you were arguing," Michelle said, wiping her tear filled eyes.

Eleven cursed softly, mentally berating himself for not making his other self go with him into the TARDIS where Michelle couldn't hear them. Ten swallowed hard and leaned in so his face were inches from her face.

"I'm sorry," Ten said, his voice choking. "We didn't mean to upset you. We just had a bit of a row but it's over now, yeah," he said, stroking her hair.

"You said he was gonna die soon," Michelle said to Eleven while Eleven laid his hand on her face.

"Love, he can't be here forever, I think I told you that before," Eleven said as gently as he could. "Eventually, he has to become me."

"So soon?" Michelle said.

"Well, it's not going to be tonight but yes, it will be soon," Eleven said. "I know it's confusing but he will live on in me, love. He won't be completely gone and that's the point I was trying to make to him."

"You said I might die too," Michelle said.

"No," Ten said while Eleven mentally cursed himself again. "Love, we were talking about all the people who have traveled with have had to leave us at some point, either by accident or design. Not everyone has ended up dead. You did see Martha, Jack and Sarah, right? But that's a risk you'll have to take if you want to do this someday and we were talking about that. Love, please don't cry and be upset, not today, alright? We're not arguing now, everything is cool."

Michelle sat up and Eleven put his hand on her back while she swallowed hard and wiped the tears from her eyes. Ten put his hand on her head while Michelle looked at him.

"When you die, where do you go?" she said.

"Um…I become him," Ten said, pointing to his counterpart.

"I know but does this body go somewhere?" Michelle said, pointing to his chest.

Ten and Eleven looked at each other.

"Um…I don't really know," Ten said. "I go to sleep for a moment or two and I wake up as the next Doctor. I don't think this body will go anywhere, certainly not to where Amy and Rory went…at least not until I permanently die, I suppose."

Michelle looked at Eleven and then she got up on her knees and looked into his eyes.

"Trying to see him in you," Michelle said, pointing to Ten.

Eleven chuckled and Ten smiled.

"And?" Eleven said.

Michelle stared intently at his face.

"You don't have much eyebrows," she said, running her finger along the hairs on his brow.

"I thought you were looking for my other self, not inspecting my eyebrows," Eleven said, amused while Ten chuckled.

"Yeah but…you really don't have much eyebrows. Mommy has an eyebrow pencil if you need it."

Ten laughed hysterically while Eleven shot him a look.

"No thanks, I'm fine," Eleven said, pressing on Michelle's nose.

"Shelly, we're ready to go," Lori called down.

"Are you alright?" Ten asked Michelle.

Michelle nodded.

"Are you?" she asked him.

"I think so. I'm gutted that we caused you to cry, especially on your birthday and I'm sorry about that. It won't happen again," he said, standing up and opening his arms.

He picked her up and held her against him while he smiled at her. Michelle looked back at Eleven while he followed them to the stairs.

"You know, I could go get Mommy's eyebrow pencil for him," Michelle said to Ten.

"Put a sock in it, Bookworm!" Eleven said as Ten and Michelle giggled.

XOXOXOXOXOXOXOX

Ten had to suffer more embarrassment after Lori noticed her daughter had been crying and he and Eleven had to explain why before apologizing profusely. Michelle stuck up for them and told her mother not to be angry but Ten still felt bad and he wondered if perhaps coming here had been a bad idea. By the time they got outside, Michelle was fine and was walking near him, smiling and excited at the idea of celebrating her birthday. Ten decided to ride with Uncle Dan and Aunt Ruth and expected Michelle to ride with her family but when he got in the back seat of the SUV, Michelle told her mother she was gonna ride with him and she got in beside him.

"If you're gonna leave soon, I wanna spend some time with ya," Michelle said to him.

Ten felt a lump come to his throat and he smiled tenderly at her. He looked over when Jack opened the other door and climbed in beside him. They watched while Sarah Jane and Martha got into Tom and Alicia's car while Eleven rode with Jim in his truck and Lori took the children in her car. Eleven had turned off the crystal before they left but Ten figured Amy and Rory were riding with them somewhere or thinking themselves to Chuck-E-Cheese and meeting them there. Michelle and Jack closed their doors and waited for Dan and Ruth.

"You okay?" Jack asked him.

"Yeah, I'm fine," Ten said.

Dan and Ruth came out and got in the car. They followed Lori and Tom and Alicia while Jim followed them. Michelle was quiet, glancing out the window at the countryside while they drove. Ten wondered if she was still upset over their argument but was choosing to hold it inside like he would do. Jack glanced at Michelle and then began to talk aloud to Ten, telling him if he remembered being on the Valiant. Ten, recognizing what he was doing, said he did and Jack and he talked about it. Michelle perked up, hearing another story of their adventures and she turned her head away from the window and listened quietly while they discussed their year in captivity. Now even Ruth was listening, turning her head slightly in the passenger side seat to listen while Ten descibed being old and being abused by the Master.

"You were very old?" Michelle finally asked.

"I was very, very old. The Master aged this body until I was one hundred years old. I was an old man with a balding head and snow white hair."

Michelle was staring at him and Ten guessed she was trying to imagine him as an old man. As he stared at her, he suddenly realized she would have been alive during that year and his hearts lurched imagining her being struck down by the Toclafane or even worse, becoming one of the Master's slaves and working on his missiles. He quickly put the disturbing thought out of his mind and he and Jack spent their time answering questions she and Dan and Ruth had about that year and their time in captivity.

XOXOXOXOXOXOXOXO

Chuck-E-Cheese was located in a large strip mall on the east side of Indianapolis on Highway 40. The area was surrounded by stores and restaurants and there was heavy traffic even at this time of night. After Michelle got out, she hurried to find her sisters and brother and quickly told them what Ten and Jack had said to her. They looked for Martha and found her with Eleven, River and Sarah Jane, chatting casually with them while they waited to go inside with the others. Michelle and her siblings walked over to Martha and Michelle tugged on her sleeve.

"The other Doctor and Jack said that you walked the Earth when they were prisoners on board this flying ship," Michelle said to her.

Eleven laughed at the stunned look on Martha's face.

"Oh, so that's what they were discussing in the other car, eh?" Martha said, amused.

"Walked the Earth?" River said with a frown.

Martha glanced behind her and saw everyone else was ready so she told them what happened while the children followed her into Chuck-E-Cheese.


	22. Chapter 22

Chapter Twenty Two

Ten looked around when they went inside the restaurant. The majority of the front section was taken up by arcade games, an air hockey table, a basketball game, crane games and a skee ball game at the back. To the right by the door was a young woman sitting behind a glass display case that had little trinkets and toys inside with cards beside them listing the number of skee ball tickets it would take to claim them. On the wall behind her were more plushies and bigger prizes. Near the back was a window and counter where people lined up to order pizza and other food and get game tokens and beyond that was a doorway to another room. Every once in awhile, a number was called and someone came from the back to claim their finished food. The room was filled with the sound of video game noises, chatting and laughter. He put his hands in his trouser pockets while he scanned the room.

Meanwhile, Michelle was standing by her mother while they waited behind another family to get their pizza order. Michelle was staring at Ten across the room.

"He looks very lonely, Mommy," Michelle said to her mother.

"Who does, honey?"

"Other Doctor," Michelle said, pointing to him.

Lori looked at him and noticed he was now looking at an arcade game near the door.

"I think he's scared to die, Mommy," Michelle said. "I think he's sad that he made me cry too."

"Well, honey, I don't pretend to know everything about him but if he's the other Doctor's past self and he doesn't regenerate, the other Doctor won't come into being," Lori said as delicately as he could.

"That's what they were talking about downstairs. He's trying to run away from it," Michelle said, pointing to Ten.

"Well, why don't you go and cheer him up and I'll get the pizza order. You want pepperoni, right?"

"Mm-hm," Michelle said before giving her mother a kiss.

Lori smiled while she watched her daughter walk towards Ten who was now wandering off into the maze of arcade games.

Ten stopped and examined another unmanned game, watching while two Asian fighters battled each other in the demonstration mode.

"Hey, old man, you're not getting away that easy."

Ten grinned and looked over his shoulder when Michelle walked up to him.

"Old man, is it?" he said while Michelle came up to his side.

"You said you were an old man when you were a prisoner."

"And I'm an old man still," Ten said. "Just with a youthful body."

"Mommy is getting pepperoni pizza and a sausage and a cheese one and bread sticks and mozzarella sticks and Coke. And getting a cake for me."

"Maybe I die of a massive coronary blockage from all the food and that's why I regenerate," Ten mused. "Maybe the four knocks means that someone will knock on the door and tell me to stop eating before I keel over. Ah well, at least I'll die happy and filled with food. Pepperoni pizza sounds delicious."

"Are you sure you're okay?" Michelle said, taking his hand.

"Have you ever had to do something you didn't want to do, something that scared you but you had to do it anyway?"

Michelle nodded.

"I had to get up and speak in front of the school one time and read a poem. I was scared."

"But you did it anyway?"

Michelle nodded.

"Well, it's the same with this regeneration business. I have to do it but at my age it scares me because I like who I am. The other me seems okay but he's not me and I really don't fancy being him," Ten said, kneeling down. "You see what I mean? It's just weighing heavily on my mind, love. But I'm trying not to let it upset you. This is your night and you need to be a child and have fun and not worry about a geriatric alien, yeah? I'm not going to die tonight, I promise."

"Well, if I'm gonna have fun then you have to have fun too," Michelle said sternly. "You need happiness if that's gonna happen and you're gonna have it, by God!"

Ten chuckled and saluted her.

"Yes, Ma'am," he said gruffly.

"I'm not a mom, I'm a little kid."

"No, I said Ma'am," he said, pronouncing it like Americans do. It's just pronounced like mum when the Brits say it."

"Ooo, okay. Well, you come then, Sir, and have some pizza."

"Yes, Ma'am," he said, using the British pronunciation.

Michelle laughed and Ten smiled when she took his hand and led him back to the others.

When they got into the darkened room, they managed to find a long table near the front where the stage was. They had brought in a few pitchers filled with Coke and they were sipping glasses of that while they waited for their number to be called over the intercom system. There was a heavy red curtain over the stage and no show so far, so Tom slipped out of his seat near the front of the table and walked back to Eleven who was sitting near the back with River. Eleven smiled at him while he stood between him and River, rested his arms on the table and listened while he talked to Sarah Jane and Martha across the table. Beside him Jack was talking to Ten and Lori who were across the table from him. Jim, beside him, was talking to Dan and Ruth and Alicia and Tom and the children were on the end. When the show started, the lights went out and the curtains parted, Tom walked back to his chair and the adults continued talking while the children watched the show.

"I told the staff about Shelly's birthday," Lori said to Ten and Jack. "So they'll probably announce it from the stage. She gets a big thrill when they do that."

Sure enough, two minutes later, Michelle's name was announced with three other children and Michelle squealed with delight. Then Chuck-E-Cheese and his band sang a special birthday song for them. By this time, their number had been announced over the intercom so most of the adults got up to help bring in the food. Ten was about to get up but Lori asked him if he would keep the children company and squeezed his shoulder when he agreed. The other adults left and he watched the show with the children. The animatronic characters were singing silly songs and he thought it was cute, although he preferred a nice Italian restaurant in Italy to this. Still, the children were having fun and that was good enough for him. The show stopped a moment before everyone came back in and the lights went on again. Ten sipped his Coke but he paused when his eyes caught sight of someone sitting alone near the back of the room. She was young but she had long white hair that was in stark contrast to her white skin. Ten lowered his glass and observed her, feeling there was something a bit off about the woman. He looked over at everyone when they entered with the food and the children got up to get some. Ten glanced over at the woman and discreetly signaled his older self when Eleven sat some plates and silverware down on the table.

"Yeah?" he said, leaning in to Ten.

"That woman over there," Ten said, pointing her out. "Do you get a sense of something not being right about her?"

Michelle was taking a plate but her ears caught that and she quickly took her silverware and walked over to them, interested in what was going on. She looked up at Eleven who was quickly looking over at the woman and she followed his gaze. She looked at Eleven who had a deep frown on his face.

"What's wrong?" Michelle said to Ten.

"There's something off about that woman over there," Ten said softly to her while he pointed her out.

Michelle took her plate and silverware over to her seat while she observed the woman. She had long, white hair that she thought was beautiful but other than that, she didn't see anything weird about her. She took up her plate and noticed by now that Ten was whispering to Jack and pointing out the woman to her. Michelle wondered if something amazing would happen tonight and there was an adventure brewing while she went to get her food from her mother.

"Mommy," Michelle said softly to Lori when it was her turn to get her food. "The Doctors say there's something wrong with this woman over there, she's got white hair and they don't like the looks of her."

Lori looked over her shoulder and found the woman in question. She turned her head back around.

"Her hair's a bit white for her age but other than that, I don't see anything wrong with her. Why? What do they say she is?"

"I don't know but I'm gonna ask," Michelle said.

She took her food and walked over to Ten and Eleven and Jack.

"What's going on?" Michelle asked Eleven. "How come you're worried about that woman."

"Because we think she's an alien in disguise," Eleven said softly to her.

Michelle did a double take and looked at the woman again. She was sipping a mug of coffee but doing nothing else.

"Is she bad?" Michelle said to Eleven.

"Dunno but we wanna find out," Eleven said softly. "Go ahead and eat though, we're not going yet."

"Take me with you when you find out," Michelle said softly.

"We will but you have to be careful just in case she is dangerous," Ten said softly to her.  
"Okay?"

"Okay," Michelle said eagerly.

Eleven patted her head, wished her happy birthday and the three men rose to get their food while Michelle hurried back to her seat.


	23. Chapter 23

Chapter Twenty Three

For the next half hour, Michelle hurried through her food, wanting to get to the bottom of the mystery of the alien woman. She was still sitting at the table but now she was just looking around and observing the other tables. Another show came on but Michelle was no longer interested in it and she took very little interest in her birthday cake, gifts and tokens from the staff of Chuck-E-Cheese, even though she thanked the people who sang happy birthday to her.

Finally, Ten signaled to her to come with them and Lori told her to be careful and do what they told her to do. Michelle nodded and she carried her plate and glass over with Eleven, Ten, Jack and River so it would look like they were finding a table near the woman so they could eat. Jack carried a pitcher of Coke for them and they sat down two tables over from the woman. Michelle sat across from Ten, Jack sat beside her and Eleven sat on her other side with River across from them. They casually ate but Michelle could see Ten looking sideways at the woman while he ate his pizza.

"She's wearing a shimmer, I'm betting," Ten finally said to the others in a hushed voice.

"What's that?" Michelle said softly.

"Shimmer is this three dimensional disguise. It looks real but it's activated by a little device worn on a belt or concealed in a pocket. Turn it off and you see the true form."

"How do we do this?" River muttered to them. "Direct confrontation?"

"No, we don't know who or what she is yet," Eleven said softly.

"I'll fix that," Ten muttered, reaching into his jacket pocket.

He took out his sonic and discreetly put it under the table and scanned the woman with it. He glanced at her, making sure she wasn't watching and read the tiny display on the side of his sonic.

"A Zartok," Ten muttered to them.

"Is that bad?" Michelle whispered.

"No, not really," Ten said. "They're friendly enough, a bit arrogant but they're not ones for invading. I'm thinking he or she is just observing humans."

"She could have picked something other than white hair if she's going for twenty year old woman," Jack muttered.

Ten shrugged.

"Could be her first time observing," he said.

"Well, the Doctor's an alien and he needs eyebrows so maybe it's the same thing."

"I have eyebrows!" Eleven said while River slammed her hand over her mouth to hold in the giggles and Jack and Ten shook with silent laughter.

"Yeah, I noticed that as well," Ten said gleefully while Eleven eyed him. "Not only am I not ginger in the next life, I have sparse eyebrows as well."

"If we finish this up, I wanna play skee ball so I can win enough to get him an eyebrow pencil," Michelle said.

Eleven's mouth dropped open as the other adults chortled.

"I'm gonna have you go back to your seat in a moment if you don't button it, Bookworm," Eleven said to her.

"Sorry," Michelle said, giggling, while Ten patted her head.

"Wait, I have an idea," Ten said before clearing his throat. "Watch for her reaction," he added. "Gosh, this pizza is delicious," he said loud enough for the woman to hear. "I'm glad we came here, we have to come again and shol'tok mara pertain," he said, speaking in the Zartokian language at the end of the sentence.

Eleven noticed the woman jerked and turned her head towards them. Ten leaned his head up and caught her eye.

"Nath gara, eh?" he said to her in Zartokian.

The woman looked around and then got up from her seat. Michelle watched while she walked around to Ten's side and Ten smiled warmly while she narrowed her eyes and looked at him.

"Who are you?" the woman said.

"Time Lord and you?"

The woman's eyes bulged for a moment and then narrowed again.

"Can't be, they all died," she said.

"Not all of them," Ten said casually. "What is your business here?"

"What is yours?" the woman countered.

"I'm attending her birthday party," Ten said, pointing to Michelle. "And you're wearing a shimmer and sitting by yourself when no one else is, not to mention you have pure white hair which isn't common for a woman of twenty. I'm sorry but you obviously stand out here."

The woman looked at Eleven, Jack and River.

"And who are they?" she said, pointing to them.

"My future self, his wife and one of my best friends," Ten said. "They're here for her birthday party."

"And is she Time Lord?" the woman said.

"No, human. Human," he said, pointing to Jack. "Time Lord," he said, pointing to Eleven, "and part human, part Time Lady. Now that we've clarified who we are, why don't you tell us your name and what you're doing here?"

"I'm am Belana," she said. "I'm a medical officer but I'm on holiday here."

"Well, Belana, you need to pick somewhere more adult," Jack said. "This is mainly for kids and families."

"I had no idea," Belana said defensively, "I have never been to Earth before."

"Hello, welcome to Earth then," Michelle said.

Belana looked at her.

"Thank you," she said. "You are also on holiday?" she said, turning her attention back to Ten.

"You could say that," Ten said.

"How do I know you're telling the truth, the Time Lords supposedly perished with Gallifrey."

"How do you think Gallifrey was destroyed?" Ten said.

"And what is your name, Time Lord?" Belana said.

"I'm the Doctor."

Michelle frowned when Belana's eyes bulged and she backed up several feet.

"This is my future self, Jack, River and Michelle," Ten said, pointing to each person in turn.

Belana didn't seem to care about that, she was still staring at Ten in disbelief.

"You are the legendary Doctor?" she finally said.

"Um…I suppose so," Ten said shrugging. "Even a legend has to have a holiday once in awhile."

"I am not a threat to the Earth," Belana said quickly.

"Didn't say you were, I'm just curious because I could tell you were wearing a shimmer," Ten said. "In my long years of life, I have learned it's better to assess a situation rather than ignore it. I know your people aren't a threat to Earth which is why you're not being dragged out of here and away from the humans. As for being a legend, I don't know about that but I am relaxing and so is everyone here, so why not do the same and join us?"

Belana looked at the empty seat next to Michelle.

"You can sit here if you want," she said to Belana.

Belana thanked her, slid the chair out and sat down. Michelle let them talk while she walked back to her family to tell them what happened.

XOXOXOXOXOXOXO

After telling her family, she decided to take some of her tokens and play some games since she figured they would be leaving soon to head for the movie theater. She chose the skee ball game and put her tokens in the slot at the front of the long titled ramp that resembled the lane in a bowling alley. She took a hard ball and rolled it up to a series of holes at the end. The holes all had different point values and an electronic board above it kept score. At the end of the round, tickets came out of a slot under the coin slot. She kept playing, doing fairly well when she felt a hand on her shoulder. She looked up, ball in hand, and saw Ten smiling at her.

"I see you're doing well," he said, pointing to the tickets she had taken out of the slot and put above the coin slot.

"I like this game," Michelle said. "You wanna try?" she said, pausing to fish the little sack of coins out of her pocket.

She gave him five tokens and Ten thanked her. He took the lane next to hers, put a token in the slot and studied the holes.

"My other self took Belana over to meet your family," he said to her as he rolled the ball and got the hole in the middle. "She's not a threat, just visiting."

"I'm glad," Michelle said.

She paused when Ten rolled another perfect score, hitting the center hole precisely. She rolled her game but she noticed Ten kept hitting that hole over and over.

"Hey, you're good at this, you keep getting the highest score hole," she said when she finished her round and collected a few more tickets.

"I have calculated the distance between here and the hole and the amount of oomph I would need to put the ball into the hole, so yes, I keep getting the highest score. But I'm winning these tickets for you so don't complain."

The Doctor was about to put his fourth token into the slot when he noticed Jack walking out of the other room with Belana at his side. He groaned when he heard Jack flirting with her.

"Why am I not surprised?" he said as he took another ball in his hand after a fresh set of five rolled down a side slot to the end.

"Huh?" Michelle said, picking up another ball. "Surprised about what?"

Ten chuckled.

"My friend Jack likes people…a lot," he said as he rolled the first ball. "He likes dating them…a lot," he added when the ball went in the center hole. "And I'm not surprised he set his sights on Belana."

"Is that why you said our ages to him over the phone?" Michelle said.

"Yes, love, because I've seen him…love a lot of different people, human and alien, and I was afraid he might have an interest in little girls. Thankfully, he doesn't…or he doesn't when I'm watching," he added, rolling a second ball into the center hole. "If he does have an interest in little children, he can stop being my friend this instant."

"I don't have an interest in little children."

Ten glanced over his shoulder and saw him and Belana standing behind him.

"I'm not that depraved, Doc," he said to him. "I do have standards."

"Good, I'm glad," Ten said, rolling another ball.

Michelle finished her round and collected more tickets. She pulled out her sack again and gave Jack and Belana five tokens.

"Thank you," Jack said. "Come on, I'll show you how this game works," he said to Belana.

He took the lane beside Michelle and Michelle started another game while Ten finished off his. He took his tickets and put them on top of Michelle's pile before playing his last game.

XOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXO

Michelle walked out of the restaurant with her family, carrying her gifts from the staff and her new Chuck-E-Cheese backpack that she got with the tickets she, Ten and Jack had won. Jack had said farewell to Belana, getting her communicator code so he could contact her sometime. They were going to drive two miles back to a movie theater and see Get Smart 2. While they were walking, Ten and Eleven walked up to Jack and flanked him. Jack looked at Ten and then at Eleven.

"Ah, a threesome with the Doctor, my dream come true," he quipped.

"It will stay a dream, I assure you," Eleven said. "We wanted to ask a favor of you."

"And that favor would be?" Jack said.

"I was talking to Lori and Jim and they want to move when they get their money. I suggested London since I think they would like it better than Hillbilly Central. You visit London frequently, don't you?"

"I do when I'm not on assignment in Cardiff or we have an assignment in London, why?"

"We would like you to keep your eyes on them and make sure they're safe when we're not around," Ten said.

"And help them adjust to London if they do decide to move there," Eleven added.

"It would be my pleasure," Jack said, smiling at the children while they walked ahead of them and laughed and joked with each other.

"We asked Martha and Sarah to do the same," Ten said. "Sarah wants to introduce Luke and his friends to the children so they'll know people near their age but you know how it is, how chaotic it can get so just keep watch over them."

"I will," Jack said.

"Thanks, old friend," Eleven said. "See you in the cinema."

He patted Jack's shoulder and hurried to catch up with River.


	24. Chapter 24

Chapter Twenty Four

After returning home from the cinema, Eleven thanked Dan and Ruth and Alicia and Tom by giving them more Ambrosia pies.

"We're just going to have to keep coming since you keep rewarding us with these," Alicia joked when he presented it to her.

She and Ruth kissed him goodbye before moving on to the others. Dan and Tom shook Eleven's hand and wished him good luck and told him to come back soon. After they were gone, Lori told them that Michelle wanted to wait to open her gifts from her relatives in the morning because she was tired and needed to rest. Ten told them that he needed to be going and he would take Sarah Jane, Martha and Jack home. The children groaned but Ten was firm about leaving so they hugged and kissed them and wished them goodbye. Michelle held on extra tight to Ten when she got to him and Ten returned the tight hug.

"You've made a difference in my life, little one," he said as he hugged her. "If I don't see you again, you'll know where I went to."

"Be careful, I love you," she whispred to him.

Ten nodded and hugged her tighter. Michelle's eyes got misty and she and the others escorted them down to his TARDIS where they said a final goodbye and watched them get inside the TARDIS. They stood back and watched while it disappeared. Then they looked at Eleven and River.

"Do you want to stay?" River said to her husband.

They smiled when the children begged them.

"I suppose we could stay the night and leave in the morning after they go to school," Eleven said with a shrug while the children cheered.

Lori and Jim allowed them to bring their bedding down and Eleven decided to bring down the crystal as well so they could talk to Amy and Rory. He went upstairs, followed by Rex and came back down with the children.

"Are you going to talk to Donna?" Brittany said when they walked into the den.

"I think so," Eleven said. "I'm going to attempt it though since I doubt Donna knows me as well as my other self. But that'll be after I leave here. And I will let you know if I'm successful and I'll bring her back if this whole plan works. Now…let's see if we can find the Ponds."

He turned it on and saw Amy and Rory sitting nearby.

"Yeah, we're here, we followed you there and followed you back," Amy said.

"Hey!" Michelle said, "Look!"

They looked over at the unfinished room and saw an elderly Native American man was standing in the doorway, glowering at them.

"Is he in Heaven too?" Mandy said while everyone walked over to look at him.

"No, he's a ghost, he's on the Earth plane," Rory said, pointing to the Indian's feet as he stood at the same level as the living occupants of the room.

"Wait, is this the source of the creepy feeling we get when we come downstairs?" Brittany said. "We keep feeling like someone is watching us."

"I felt it as well," Amy said.

"And Lori said she felt it too," Eleven said. "Who are you?" he said to the Indian while Michelle raced up the stairs to get her parents.

"I am Mankiller," the Indian said gruffly. "You are on my land, get out!"

"No, mate, you're dead and this house belongs to the Stevens family," Eleven said to him.

"This is my land. Get out!" the Indian said.

"See?" Michelle said, coming down the steps with Lori, Jim and Rex.

"See, I told you I felt like someone was there," Lori said to her husband while Rex barked furiously at Mankiller and raced down the stairs.

"You are on my land, get out!" Mankiller said angrily while Rex stood several feet from him and barked.

"Rex, Reggie, stop that!" Eleven said while Jim, Lori and Michelle came down the stairs.

Rory glanced at his wife and got up. Mankiller glared at him when he moved towards him.

"You're dead, mate, you're not where you've supposed to be. Go towards the light," Rory said, pointing off to Mankiller's right. "See that light beside you? Go into it."

"You are on my land, get out!" Mankiller said.

"He's not listening to anyone," Lori said. "Is he going to hurt us?"

"Just wait a tic, everyone, I'll sort this out," Amy said, getting up.

She closed her eyes and vanished from sight.

"Where'd she go?" Michelle said to Rory.

"Thought herself somewhere else, going to get help, I imagine," Rory said.

A moment later, Amy appeared again.

"Okay, got help," she said to everyone.

Everyone watched while three golden human sized lights suddenly surrounded Mankiller. Mankiller looked at them, terrified while the lights hemmed him in.

"What's going on?" Lori said.

"They're angels," Amy said. "They're surrounding him and leading him to the light. It's an intervention of sorts."

They heard Mankiller protesting, yelling that this was his land but the angels slowly moved him right and eventually the lights and Mankiller's voice faded and there was only darkness again inside the room.

"There, he's been led into the light," Amy said. "He's here so he won't trouble you again."

"Good work, Ponds," Eleven said while the family thanked them.

XOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOX

The Doctor lay with River on the sofa, staring at the fire that Jim had built earlier. The children slept around him while Amy and Rory sat by the window and watched over them.

"It'll be hard to leave them in the morning but at least I'm giving them a better life where they won't have to worry about money any longer," Eleven said to River.

"You'll be back," River said.

"I know, I wish you were coming with me though, as a companion."

"I told you, sweetie, I can't travel with you full time. But you'll find others," River said, stroking his cheek.

"I suppose," the Doctor sighed. "It's too bad I can't make the Ponds work for me anymore."

"P'eh, I'm on holiday now," Amy teased him.

"Holiday, schmoliday, you'll be bored soon enough, both of you and then...it's back to work."

"He's delusional sometimes, you notice that?" Rory said to his wife.

XOXOXOXOXOXOX

In the morning, the Doctor rose as soon as he heard movement upstairs. He waited for Jim and hugged him as he was leaving for work.

"Take care and come back whenever you want," Jim said to him.

The Doctor thanked him and saw him out. It was the same with Lori and the children, although all of them were subdued and had heavy hearts. By now, River had woken up and she hugged and kissed the children, promising to come back and see them someday. Lori and the children had tears in their eyes but Lori finally told the three eldest ones to go and wait for the bus.

"Come back soon," Michelle said as they walked out the door.

When it was only Lori, Mandy and Rex, they headed downstairs and the Doctor told them he'd better take the crystal with him.

"Just in case," he said. "I don't want it falling into the wrong hands."

"We will watch over you though," Amy said to them. "We can go back and forth between the Doctor and you so don't worry, we'll be around and we'll hear you if you ever want to talk to us."

The Doctor let them say their goodbyes to the Ponds before he turned off the crystal. River held Mandy in her arms while she wept and they walked towards the storage room. River sat Mandy down and hugged her tightly. Mandy begged them not to go but Lori told her daughter they had to do it and Mandy finally hugged and kissed them while the Doctor hugged Lori and told her he would return someday. He then hugged Rex and patted his head, asking his friend to protect his family. Lori took Mandy's hand and they stood back and watched while the Doctor and River got into the TARDIS.

"Bye bye," Mandy said, waving with her mother while the TARDIS began to wheeze and slowly disappear.

XOXOXOXOXOXOXO

(Two weeks later…)

The children giggled while they raced around the den. Their parents had won the lottery and had spoken to a lawyer before finally going public as the winners. They had been on all the news stations and the newspapers had interviewed them. Now they were talking about going to London.

While they played, they froze when they heard the wheezing of the TARDIS and they whooped and hollered as they raced towards it. They opened the door, expecting Eleven and River, instead they saw Ten emerging from his TARDIS.

"Hey! You came back," Michelle said while the children crowded around him.

"I did. But this is the last time I'll ever see you in this body," he said to them. "It happened. I absorbed heaps of radiation and I'm about to regenerate but I'm going to live long enough to say goodbye to everyone I love so I came here to see all of you."

Brittany raced up the stairs, calling for her mother and father to come while the children hugged Ten. Michelle noticed he had a pained look on his face even though he was smiling.

"Did it hurt?" Michelle asked him.

"It does a bit but I'll be alright," Ten said, putting his hand on her head. "But this is it for me; this is the final visit in this body."

Michelle hugged him and Ten smiled and hugged her tightly.

"Thank you for all the good and the silly times we had together," he said to her.

"You're welcome," Michelle whispered as her family came downstairs.

Ten spent several minutes with each of them, hugging and saying goodbye. His hearts was in his throat when the children wept but he urged them to be brave and told them he'd see them again, just not in this body. Finally, he reluctantly told them he had to go and with one more round of hugs, the children stepped back and waved goodbye, watching while Ten closed the door and the TARDIS started up and vanished from view.

THE END.


End file.
